All Star
by Ducky-san
Summary: Mikan Sakura, the poor girl with no future. Natsume Hyuuga, the trainer with no athlete. He sees talent where she sees faults. Why not give it a shot? After all, she might end up being a star. MXN HXR T for safety
1. Prologue

No, unfortunately I don't own Gakuen Alice. (Must I say this every time?)

* * *

She walked alongside her mother, a reusable bag slung over her shoulder, full of fruits and vegetables

She walked alongside her mother, a reusable bag slung over her shoulder, full of fruits and vegetables. Her mother carried another bag identical to hers, and the food that filled them both was to feed them for the next month.

They were just on their way home, heading towards the rundown apartment building they lived in. It really needed some fixing up, and she would have done that if she had the money to get supplies.

The truth was that her and her mother were poor, at the bottom of the hierarchy.

"Sweetie, do you have any extra change?" Her mom, Aiko, said softly. "You need some new clothes." She scanned her daughter's ragged skirt and casual T-shirt. "You look like you just rolled in some mud."

Mikan sighed. "I can live, mom," she said.

Aiko gave her a sidelong glance. "Yes, but not necessarily well."

"I'm living a great-" She was cut off in mid sentence when someone's thick fingers wrapped around the strap of her bag. Her dying words turned into a yelp and she staggered back, and bag flying from her grasp.

Aiko gasped and steadied her. "Just let him go, darling."

Mikan narrowed her eyes angrily as she watched the bulk figure take off, and she was close behind. Her long legs pumped fast, her arms swinging to steady her stride. She tore across the sidewalk, gaining ground fast. Unfortunately, as her mix of bad luck and good luck had it, there was a boy on a bike coming up the sidewalk.

Cursing, she looked around for an escape, but saw that there was a steep hill on one side and a high metal bar on the other. Deciding that diving down the hill may be deadly and she might not live to tell the story, she reached forward and grabbed the strap of the bag, as the man was within arms reach, and pulled, jumping as she did so. She turned in the air, flew over the bar, and landed on the grass on the other side on her back.

Groaning, she sat up, smiling triumphantly when she saw that all of her fruit were intact, and that the man was gone.

"Mikan! Mikan!" Her mom came running through the crowd, weaving her way around people, her face marred with worry. She gasped in relief when she saw that, besides being slightly dazed and maybe a little bit out of breath, her daughter was fine.

"I told you to leave him," she scolded, hopping over the bar.

Mikan shot to her feet. "I just owned him!"

"Yes, yes, now come along."

* * *

Mikan nibbled on the slice of apple, staring into space. She didn't realize that she had zoned out until a knock on the door disturbed her thoughts.

Her mother was out.

Sighing, she got to her feet and walked to the door. She opened it a crack, peering outside into the dark night. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the tall, well-built figure of a man, but she panic died when she saw his face.

Though his glare was menacing, his ruby eyes narrowed angrily, and though his raven locks were tousled and messy, he didn't strike her as threatening. He did, however, strike her as positively handsome.

She opened the door the rest of the way.

"Yes?" Her eyes narrowed instantly in suspicion.

"I saw you in the park today." Apparently, he liked to get right to the point.

Her hip bulged to one side and her hand found a place to rest on it. "So?"

"You can run, and you can jump," he went on. "I was wondering how old you were."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't tell my age to strangers."

"Would you tell me if I said that me and my assistant trainer would like to train you for the Olympics this year? I've seen your skill in both sprinting and jumping, as in high jump. Are you interested?"

Her eyes narrowed again. "I'm only seventeen."

"I'm only nineteen."

She scanned him briefly. "Really?"

"Enough questions. Are you interested or not?"

"Do you honestly think I'm in any shape to sprint?" Now all she was doing was making excuses.

"We'll feed you _and _your mother. All you have to do is let us train you."

"What's your name?" She could barely hide the smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Natsume Hyuuga."

"Well, Natsume, I'll talk to my mother about it. Is there any place you'd like me to meet you tomorrow, when I've come to my decision?"

"The park bench. 9:00 AM. Don't be late." Without another word, he turned and walked down the hallway, heading for a fancy car parked on the street.

She watched him until he was gone, speeding away in his shiny car, and then she closed the door and locked it.

_What was that all about? _She wondered. _Training for Olympics? How did a small town girl like me manage something like that?_

Shrugging it off, she turned and went back to the kitchen table.

* * *

A/N: Yes, this is my idea. Lol. Must have expected it from someone so madly in love with sports. Yeah, I'll keep dreaming. :)

Anyway, this chapter is short because it's the prologue. This took, like, ten minutes to write. Hehe. I'll update as soon as I can, for those of you interested.

xoxo  
Ducky-san


	2. Training Begins

No, unfortunately I don't own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

"Natsume Hyuuga?" Aiko's eyes glazed over. "_The _Natsume Hyuuga?"

Mikan stared at her mother, baffled. "Why does he get a '_The_' at the front of his name?" she asked dryly. "I've never heard of him."

Her mother shook her head, as if shaking her train of thought back into place. "Of course you haven't, darling," she said, waving her hand in dismissal. "You don't listen to the gossip around this place like normal girls your age do." She continued washing the dishes that were piled up in the sink.

Mikan's mouth was slightly agape. "Why is _he _part of gossip?"

Aiko swung around, seemingly stunned. "He is considered one of the best looking guys in the _whole world!_ He got scouted for international modeling but turned them down because he said that he was a trainer, not a model."

Mikan choked back a laugh, but Aiko didn't notice.

"A bunch of athletes – girls, mostly – have tried to win his eyes, and maybe his heart, but he always says they aren't good enough. His assistant coach is pretty much the same. I knew you were a fast runner, but I didn't think you were enough to impress _them._"

Mikan's expression fell. "Gee, thanks mom."

"Well, the choice is completely yours," she continued. "If you want to become an Olympic athlete and have the chance to fall in love with one of the most amazing guys ever, as well as give your mother a better living, then go for it."

Mikan stared at her in disbelief. It was obvious what her mother wanted her to do. Forget all the crap about how the choice was all hers. Yeah, right.

Sighing, Mikan stood up from the kitchen chair. "Fine," she said. "I'll do it."

* * *

9:00 AM.

No one.

10:00 AM.

No one.

12:00 PM.

Still no one.

After getting halfway through a book that she didn't even like, Mikan stood up and stretched. No Natsume. No one really at all.

Glowering, she stomped back in the direction of her home. The little jerk had been playing with her. Oh, next time she saw him, he was going to get it…he was going to get it good.

Her speedy walk slowed to a stroll. _Maybe he said PM… _she wondered.

_No chance._

* * *

"What did he say?" Aiko asked when she saw the angry look on her daughter's face.

"He didn't show," Mikan grumbled through clenched teeth. "He's selfish. He gets a poor person's hopes up and then he tears them all down." Her eyes were watering. "What kind of person does that?"

Aiko sighed. "Mikan, darling, what time did he say to meet?"

"9:00 _AM!" _Now she was nearly shouting. "I waited for three hours! And it's _hot _out there!"

"Maybe he said PM?" Aiko suggested.

"No, mom," Mikan insisted. "He said AM."

"Maybe you should go at 9:00 tonight anyway."

"He won't show." The tone of voice she used made her statement almost believable.

"Give it a shot." Aiko brushed her daughter's long hair off of her forehead. "For me."

Mikan glared up at her mother from under eyelashes. "Nice, mother," she said grumpily. "What a way to bribe me."

* * *

Despite her arguing, at 9:00 PM she left the rundown apartment once more, still mostly angry with her mother for persuading her by using words like 'well-being', 'more food', 'healthier family', 'good life'.

She flopped down on the park bench where she had sat before, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes narrowed. It was getting dark, and if she could almost get robbed during the day, she had a reason to be terrified at night.

Especially when she saw the dark figure walking towards her.

She but her lip uneasily. The figure was much too…_muscular_ to be Natsume, which was something she knew for sure.

Another fact that made her uneasy was the _other _figure walking towards her from her right. What if they were going to corner her and then mug her? It's not like she had anything on her to steal, but rape was still an open option.

The figure on her right stopped in front of her before the figure in front of her got there, and for a moment she tensed, but then she recognized his piercing ruby eyes. Her shoulders slumped, and then she recalled that she was supposed to be mad at him.

Unfortunately, she didn't have time to prove her point before the other person was stopping in front of Natsume, and then the action began.

"What are you doing here?" Natsume asked dryly.

The man scowled. He wasn't very handsome, and he almost looked like a dog compared to Natsume's godlike features. His unshaved chin looked slightly nauseating, and his moustache, which looked almost taunting, made her wonder why girls kissed guys with moustaches. It was gross.

"We scheduled a fight. 9:00 PM in the alley. When I didn't find you, I went looking for you, and here you are, not even a block away, with this pretty girl." He motioned to her, giving her a crooked grin that she thought was supposed to be seductive. "Skipping out because of your girlfriend?"

Mikan's mouth dropped open. "I barely know him!" she objected, crossing her arms and shivering in the cold breeze. "I just met him yesterday!"

Natsume ignored her. "I said 9 AM, in the alley. _You _were the one that didn't show."

"Which leads us to the reason I'm here," Mikan said.

The other man laughed. "You definitely said PM."

"I did not," Natsume insisted stoically.

"You told me to meet you here at 9:00 AM!" Mikan exclaimed, shooting to her feet, right between the two guys, facing Natsume.

"I told you PM." He looked over her shoulder and pointed at the other man. "I told him AM."

"Wouldn't it make more sense to see _me _in the day and fight _him _at night?" By now, she was pulling at her hair in frustration. "This is so confusing!"

"Who is this girl anyway, Natsume?" the other man asked with a smirk. "I wouldn't mind taking her with me. We can forget the fight. You know I'll win anyway. We can make a trade."

Mikan turned to face him, scowling. "I'm not an object," she snapped. "I can't be traded. Shut up and let me get this whole thing sorted out."

The man only seemed to enjoy her feisty behavior. "Well, Natsume? Who is she?"

"She's my athlete," Natsume replied, glaring down at Mikan.

"What make you think I'm going to say yes?" she hissed.

"You wouldn't do that to your mother." He sounded oddly sure.

Her eyes narrowed. "You talked to her," she accused. "You used your stupid 'charm' on my _mother _to persuade me to say yes! And it worked! Oh, you are so _greedy, _Natsume Hyuuga!"

"I went to ask her to talk to you about it. She didn't even really look at me. She said she wanted what was best for you."

Mikan opened her mouth to reply, and then she snapped it back shut and put her finger to her chin thoughtfully, her eyes turned up to the darkening sky. "That's weird. Mom was going on and on about how you were so 'good looking'." She used her fingers to mark her words in quotes. "Personally, I don't think you're that great. You look like a player. You know, someone who toys with girls and then breaks their heart."

"I prefer not to date," Natsume said coolly.

The man behind her grabbed her shoulder. "I'll take you."

She swung around and, mostly because she was mad, kicked him right between the legs. Right where it hurts. (Must I say more?)

The man doubled over, clutching that spot, and fell to the ground, rolling around in agony.

Unmoved, Mikan turned back around to face him. "Okay, I admit it. I came to accept your…your…demand, request, invitation, whatever it was. I'll let you train me, but you have to make sure my mom gets a real living. Deal?" She stuck out her hand.

"Deal." His warm hand grasped hers and they shook on it, sealing the promise.

"Training starts tomorrow."

Mikan was about to object when something hit her ankle…somewhat hard, I might add. She screamed as he legs flew out from underneath her, but Natsume had surprisingly fast reflexes and caught her wrist.

"Ouch!" Her eyes were watering as she flopped back down on the bench to massage her ankle. "What was that for, you friggin' idiot?" She glowered down at the man who was still lying on the ground.

"You kicked me," he stated.

"Yeah, because you deserved it."

Natsume glared down at him. "If you hurt my athlete, I'll knock every tooth out of your mouth."

She shuddered at the meaningfulness in his words.

The man returned the evil look. "How about that fight then?"

"Hey, Polka-dots, tomorrow. Here at the bench by noon. You need proper athletic gear."

Mikan's face flushed a million different shades of red. "What?" she shrieked. "You…you…_pervert!_" Her hand flew to the hem of her skirt, holding it down to prevent herself from being exposed any further.

He smirked, and then turned back to the man, barely looking at her. "Go home and get rest. I'll introduce you to my assistant tomorrow. I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're a girl."

* * *

Mikan scowled once again as she walked alongside Natsume down the street, two large bags in her hands. Her trainer could have at least been nice enough to carry them for her, but no.

With a simple, "I'm not carrying those," she had been forced to drag herself down the street.

Paparazzi and everything. Why did stars and rich people have to go through this? She was self-conscious the whole walk to the beach. Every time a camera snapped a picture, she would flinch and brush her hair out of her face. How did people deal with this?

Then again, guys like Natsume were so cocky that they just assumed they looked good, since people like him had been scouted for modeling and had such great looks that they saw their face on the front of every teen magazine.

It made her so mad.

"Ruka is waiting for us at the beach," Natsume told her as they walked down the sandy stairs, the ocean in clear view. "You'll change, and he'll stay with your stuff. He has my running gear. You and I are going for a run. You need to break into your shoes and I need to check your stride. I don't expect it to be very good for someone like you-"

"Someone like me?" she repeated through clenched teeth. "What's that supposed to mean? Just because I'm not very fit because of money issues doesn't mean you get to insult me."

"Would you let me finish?" he retorted. "I wasn't going to insult you because you're poor. I was going to say that you aren't in shape, and you need to get into shape before I sign you up for any races."

"I thought they only had long distance races."

"No, they have sprints, but if I you can do long distance running then that's an option, too."

She frowned. "I hate long distances."

"Too bad."

They were walking across the sand, the vast waters to their right. There was a young man around Natsume's age standing by the rock wall. Even from a distance, Mikan's sharp eyes could see his blonde hair and bright, blue eyes.

Her eyes instantly narrowed again. "He's like you. Famous." She almost spat the word.

"Yes, because we've trained dozens of professional athletes. We're going to make you one of those."

"I don't want to be famous."

"You don't have to be."

"Okay." She shrugged. "If you say so."

"That's the kind of attitude I want all the time." He stopped in front of the other boy.

Mikan glared at him. "You wish."

"This must be Mikan Sakura." Ruka stuck his hand out, an inviting smile on his face. "I'm Ruka Nogi. I'm looking forward to working with you."

Mikan glanced at his hand, then back at his handsome face, almost surprised. "Well, you're a whole lot nicer than this perverted jerk over here." She jabbed her thumb in Natsume's direction before taking Ruka's hand and giving it a firm shake.

"Yeah, well, I like to think as Natsume as having a better defense system." The smile was still in place.

Mikan turned to Natsume, scrutinizing his blank expression. Then she nodded. "That's one way to put it."

"Hurry up and get changed," Natsume said, turning and heading for the change rooms down by the concession. "I don't have all day."

* * *

Mikan sighed as she pulled her long, waist length hair into a high ponytail. She gave herself one last glance in the mirror, crinkling her nose in disgust when she set eyes on the pair of spandex, super short shorts that Natsume had made her get. All the remembered was him saying something about aerodynamics.

She didn't like the top either. It was designed so that the thick straps of the sports bra underneath were invisible. But the stretchy, sporty, gray and black material hugged her skin and made her itchy. She was sure that it was because she wasn't used to it, but it was still uncomfortable.

She stepped out of the change rooms and out into the fresh ocean air, looking down as she pulled her ponytail tighter. When she looked up, her eyes widened.

They were everywhere, like a disease. A bunch of stupid, yapping cameramen, following Natsume and Ruka as they walked towards the girls change room, talking to each other as quietly as they could and still be heard over the constant questions.

Natsume had already changed. He was in a pair of running shorts, running shoes, and a black muscle shirt.

They didn't even seem bothered by the lack of privacy.

Making a face, she spun around and walked back into the security of the change room. It was empty, which was lucky, since Natsume didn't hesitate in entering to grab her.

Ruka wasn't with him, but it was clear that he, along with the reporters and cameras, were just outside.

"What are you doing?" He looked bored.

Mikan was pacing. "I can't run in front of _them. _I'll embarrass myself! You're actually good at the sport, so you don't have anything to worry about. I'm a newbie! I'm definitely going to trip and fall flat on my face, and they'll get it all on camera. I always fall!"

"They won't follow us," he said simply. "They aren't runners. They won't run with all of their gear. Ruka will keep them occupied and answer all their questions. I can tell already that this isn't going to be a very long run."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She frowned.

"You aren't fit. You aren't going to last long."

She groaned. "Okay, fine. Let's just get this over with." She turned to face him and sighed. "Do I look okay?"

He stared at her for a moment. "No." He turned away. "You look horrible."

The frown returned. "You're so mean."

"Cover your face if you don't want them to take your picture. If you let them, it'll be all over the magazines, without your consent."

She groaned again as she followed him out into the crowd. She ducked her head and shielded her face with her hands. Ruka made them back off, and told them to give her a break, something she was glad for.

Of course, she couldn't have expected them to listen.

Natsume started running.

She was sure her face was red as she followed closely behind.

But, as he had said, the camera crew didn't follow, and they were only getting out of sight when Mikan started to run out of breath. "Why are we running on the beach? It's way harder than the sidewalk!"

"That's the point," Natsume replied. He looked down at her feet, watching each step she took, and then he stopped. "Stop, stop, stop."

Mikan pulled abruptly to a stop, which immediately led to her feet flying out from underneath her. The sand softened her landing, but not by much, and she moaned, though she was glad for the break.

Natsume wasn't even breaking a sweat. "You're right. You do fall a lot."

"Hey, that's the first time." She glared up at him, and then she flopped back onto the sand. "How do you do this? I'm so out of shape. I'm never going to be a good runner."

"Your dynamic is all wrong." He shifted so that he was in front of her, by her feet. "Get up."

Sighing, she got up, standing face to face, looking up at him, unblinking.

"You need to be lighter on your feet," he told her. "You're running too heavily on your heels. I have drills that will help with that, but I can tell already that you aren't going to like them."

She stared at her feet in disbelief, and then she looked back up at him. "How do you know I'm not going to like them?"

"I'll let you do one tomorrow, and we'll find out."

She rolled her eyes. "You're so stubborn."

"Whatever. We need to get going. I have to be somewhere by four o'clock."

Mikan glanced at the digital watch on his wrist. It was already three.

"Then lets go."

* * *

Mikan dragged herself through the door of the rundown apartment and over to the couch where she slept. She flopped down, barely aware of her mother's sweet voice ringing from the kitchen.

She already knew she was going to be aching in the morning.

"Mikan, sweetie, how did it go?" Aiko appeared, a grin stretching from ear to ear.

"I'm so tired!" she wailed. "He made me run four kilometers along the beach. Do you have any idea how hard it is to run on the beach? He wants me to do drills tomorrow afternoon, and I have this horrible feeling that I won't be able to move tomorrow. I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

Aiko smiled warmly and tossed a newspaper at her. "This might make you feel better."

"I told you not to waste money on newspapers," Mikan said dryly.

Her mother laughed and walked back into the kitchen. "Read it."

Mikan frowned and sat up, taking the newspaper with her. The first thing she saw, on the very front page, was a picture of the beach. On the beach, Natsume stood in front of a figure lying on the ground.

Her mouth dropped open as she stared. They had actually gotten a picture of her after she had fallen.

How did they _do _that?

* * *

A/N: Yeah, yeah. The chapters will get longer once i have more to write about. Haha. That might take awhile. They'll probably be longer when i get to the lovey-dovey stuff :P

Anyway, life's good. I tried to run on the treadmill last night but Jasper, the puppy, triedto get on with me, so I had to suffer with aerobics (Turbo Jam! Woo!).

I hope the chapter wasn't too disappointing. I can't wait to get Mikan into some drills :) I'll use drills that I've done in the past. lol.

xoxo  
Ducky-san


	3. Unexpected and Unwanted

No, unfortunately I don't own Gakuen Alice

* * *

As she had suspected, she was as stiff as a board the next day. Every time she took a step, a tight pain shot up her legs. Every time she moved her arms with her stride, she winced, groaned, and then silently cursed her luck.

It was almost noon, and she had to be back at the beach by 12:00 exactly, and her hobbling had slowed her down significantly. She had five minutes to make a ten minute walk.

Groaning for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, she broke out into a run, which was difficult, since she hadn't changed yet and was wearing a pair of nice capris and summery tank top, complete with a pair of red flip flops. The whole outfit had been a gift from her best friend, whom she hadn't seen for almost two years because she was studying somewhere in the US. Her best friend, namely Hotaru Imai, had no idea about the state of living Mikan and her mother had.

As she had hoped, her long legs got her to the beach with not a minute to spare. Natsume and Ruka were already there, both of them setting up dozens upon dozens of bright orange pylons across the sand.

They were set up in such a way that six were in a row, stepping distance in between. Then, between the next six and the previous six, there was enough space for a quick sprint, and then a sharp right angle turn and six more. It continued like that, all the way to the water, which was slowly creeping up the sand as high tide drew near. The pylons formed something that looked like a giant staircase.

They were just finishing up when Mikan reached them.

Ruka handed her the bag that held her stuff with a kind smile. "Go get changed, Mikan. We have some drills for you."

* * *

When Natsume had said she wasn't going to like the drills, he had been nothing but right. This particular drill, the one that involved the pylons, was soon to become her least favorite thing.

"Two foot jump over every pylon," Natsume instructed, nodding at his setup. "When you get to the open space, you sprint to the next set of pylons. Don't fall again, otherwise you'll find your picture in magazines, too."

Mikan groaned. "How did they get that?"

Ruka was holding the newspaper, the one Mikan had read yesterday. He squinted as he read the words underneath it. "It says it was taken by someone named…Ugh. I can't read it."

Mikan snatched it from him and looked for the name.

Natsume spoke before she read it. "Professional photographer Hotaru Imai. She always gets pictures like that. I thought she was studying somewhere in the States though. I guess she came back for a visit." He shrugged. "She's greedy for footage."

Mikan's mouth dropped open. "Hotaru Imai?"

Ruka glared at something, maybe a memory. "You know her?"

Mikan nodded, astonished. "She's my best friend. I haven't seen her in almost two years."

"You sound scared," Natsume stated.

"I've told her so many lies since she left!" she wailed. "Me and mom haven't always been poor. We used to have a really good life. Hotaru doesn't know that we're living in a rundown apartment! She'll kill me if she finds out!"

Ruka sighed. "Relax for now. We'll figure that out later. We need you to go through these drills."

Mikan eyed the pylons uneasily. "I already hate it." But, nonetheless, she began to run towards the pylons, jumping over the six easily, sprinting, jumping over the next six, and so on. Of course, they didn't expect her to make it through all of them, given her unhealthy state.

Surprisingly, she got through at least ¾ of them before she collapsed on the sand, arms outstretched.

Ruka marked something down on his clipboard, and then he nodded at Natsume, and they started out towards her.

"Get up," Natsume ordered, standing over Mikan, who was breathing heavily and had her eyes closed. "You and I still have to go for a run."

Ruka gave him a frown and then reached a hand down to help her up. She took it gratefully and let him pull her to her feet. "We have some more drills, too. And Natsume has a diet plan for you that he'll get you started on."

Mikan glanced down at herself. "Not to be cocky or anything, but do I really need to lose weight?"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "It isn't for you to lose weight, idiot," he said. "It's to get some nutrition in that stack of bones you call a body. There are risks to exercising when you aren't healthy. You look dehydrated, too."

She moaned. "If Hotaru gets a close up look at me, I'm dead."

"Then don't let her see you," he suggested.

"I can't do that! I haven't seen her in so long!"

He rolled his eyes. "Girls make no sense."

"Tell you what, Mikan." Ruka was smiling at her again. "We'll get Natsume to give you your dieting foods, we'll eat, and then we'll get you in some new clothes. If you want, when you see your friend, we'll give you some money and you can take her and your mother to a coffee shop or something."

Mikan's face fell. "I hate being poor," she mumbled. "I feel like such a burden." She forced a grateful smile, to both of them. "Thank you."

* * *

"I'm not eating that," Mikan said stubbornly, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. "That looks like a bunch of leaves all piled up with a couple of eyeballs on top."

What she said was sort of true. The salad that sat in front of her consisted of lettuce and spinach, Thousand Island salad dressing, and was topped with an hardboiled egg, cut in half and lying on the lettuce with the flat side down. Natsume said that she was getting her serving of vegetables as well as some protein.

Natsume raised an eyebrow. "Did I say you had a choice?"

Mikan glared at him, trying to ignore the sounds of the people outside the little restaurant, people who were mostly reporters trying to get footage of the three.

Ruka sighed. "Mikan, you need to get healthier." He motioned to her full glass of water. "We can't leave until everything is gone."

Mikan groaned. "Fine." She picked up her fork, her nose crinkled in disgust, and speared the lettuce around the edge of the bowl. She had never liked salad. She always thought it was too plain, no matter how much dressing she put on it.

They'd already gone shopping, and she had gotten one new outfit. A simple jean mini skirt and a tight blue halter top.

She shoved the green food in her mouth and forced it down her throat. Forkful after forkful, the dish in front of her emptied. After every bite, she took a swig of water to wash it down, and when she was finally finished, egg and all, she sat back, her hands on her stomach. "That was disgusting."

"At least you look more presentable," Ruka laughed.

Mikan smiled. "I can't wait to see her."

They sat in the little restaurant a little longer, by the big open window, which Mikan wondered why they were sitting by, since security guards were constantly shoving reporters and cameramen back.

The ding of a bell that indicated the entrance of someone into the restaurant made her look up, and her eyes instantly widened in horror and she slipped under the table, the only words from her mouth being a simple, "Oh, shit."

"What the hell?" Natsume scoffed.

"Shh," Mikan begged. "Don't tell them I'm here."

"Where is she?" The voice was familiar, belonging to none other than Hotaru Imai. But she was not alone, and that was something Mikan could tell by the second pair of feet beside Hotaru's dark blue flip-flops.

"Uh…who?" Ruka stuttered.

"Don't play stupid." Hotaru's voice was cold.

"She's under the table." Natsume sounded careless.

Mikan tried to stand up, momentarily forgetting that she was under the table. She slammed her head on the grimy bottom, yelped, and then cursed. "Natsume, you idiot! I hate you!"

"Then it's a good thing that I hate you too," Natsume replied, no emotion in his voice.

"Get out from under there, idiot," Hotaru said.

Mikan sighed and crawled out from under the table. Then, unable to contain her excitement, she shot to her feet and leapt froward, wrapping her arms around Hotaru's neck and squealing excitedly. "I can't believe you're here!"

"Let go."

Mikan released her, still smiling. "You haven't changed."

"Neither have you. You're still the same obnoxious, idiotic, scaredy-cat that I left behind two years ago." She ruffled Mikan's hair. "Good to see you again, ditz."

Instead of getting mad at the stream of insults, Mikan beamed.

"Mikan-chan, it's been so long!"

Mikan grimaced and turned unwillingly to the person Hotaru stood beside. Her face was tense and she didn't bother trying to smile. "Hello, Tsubasa."

He didn't seem bothered by her behavior. "When Hotaru invited me along to come and see you, I was ecstatic."

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "I didn't invite you along. The day I invite _you _anywhere is the day I die. You stalked me, and I have yet to get you back for it. You might as well have hidden in a suitcase. You're the last person I would want to take on vacation with me. All you did was talk my ear off the whole plane ride."

Tsubasa was a handsome young man, but compared to Natsume and Ruka, he might as well be a rat. He acted like one, so why not have looks to fit the personality?

He frowned at her. "I didn't stalk you."

Hotaru gave him a look that warned him not to argue with her, a warning in which he heeded.

"What? You're not going to introduce us, Polka-dots?" Natsume's voice was bored.

"I haven't gotten a hug from you yet, Mikan-chan!" Tsubasa opened his arms, a gesture that made Mikan step away uneasily.

"I know who you are," Hotaru said. "I don't need introductions. I would, however, like to know what you're doing here with my idiot. I'd also like to know why you were jogging along the beach with her yesterday, Hyuuga."

"We're training her," Ruka said quickly. "Sprints and high jump."

"Who's that psycho?" Natsume jabbed his thumb in Tsubasa's direction.

"Uh, he's my…ex-boyfriend." Mikan finished the sentence quickly.

Natsume raised an eyebrow in amusement.

Tsubasa touched Mikan's arm, still smiling. "I'm Tsubasa, a good friend of Mikan's."

"No you aren't," Mikan muttered. "I hate you."

"What was that, Mikan?" he asked.

"Nothing." She pulled away from his touch. "This is Natsume Hyuuga and Ruka Nogi." Her smile was gone, and her expression was carefully composed. "My trainers."

Tsubasa glared at Natsume suspiciously. "Trainers for what?"

Natsume could have laughed, but instead he raised his eyebrow even further. "Don't you listen?"

"Why don't we go for a walk?" Ruka laughed nervously.

* * *

Mikan walked carefully and tensely between Hotaru and Natsume. Tsubasa was on the other side of Hotaru, occasionally glaring at Natsume, who would smirk in return. Ruka was on the other side of Natsume, minding his own business, like a gentleman.

"Um…aren't you supposed to be taking me through some more drills?" Mikan asked desperately, trying to give herself an excuse to get away from Tsubasa before all hell broke loose.

"No," Natsume said. "You said you haven't seen Imai for awhile. Make use of your time." He could care less, and it was evident in his voice. He enjoyed watching her suffer.

"Nogi, I'd like to talk to you about the well being of my idiot," Hotaru said, stopping abruptly as they passed a park bench. "We'll stop here. You three can continue on with your walk. Mikan, I'll meet you by the beach at 6:00 tonight."

Mikan moaned as Tsubasa closed the gap between them. Ruka gave them one last glance before stopping and walking back to the bench to join the devious Hotaru, who sat down and stared after them. Mikan could feel her eyes on her back.

Tsubasa grabbed Mikan's arm and tugged her towards him, just as they passed an ice cream stand. "Mikan, let me buy you some ice cream." He glared at Natsume, who smirked once again.

Mikan pulled away. "Natsume has me on a diet."

Tsubasa stopped, staring at Natsume in disgust, which made him stop, too, which led to Mikan stopping and turning to face them. "How can you have her on a diet?" he growled. "She's the size of a stick!"

"No, she's the size of an unfit human," Natsume replied.

Mikan nodded in agreement. "I'm not losing weight. I'm eating healthy."

Tsubasa reached forward and grabbed Mikan's wrist again. "Come on, Mikan, I can treat you better than this. You know I can." He sounded desperate, which made her want to punch him. "Can't we start over?"

"No," she said coolly. "Now let go."

If anything, his grip tightened.

Natsume rolled his eyes. "Get your hand off of my athlete."

Tsubasa glanced at Natsume, and then back at Mikan, seemingly hurt. "You want to be with him?" he asked, pathetically sad.

Mikan gave him a disgusted look. "Ew, no. We hate each other. All he's doing is training me. I met him two days ago." She eyed his hand, which was still clasped around her wrist. "Now let go before I use some serious karate on you."

He just stared at her, still hurt.

Pinching her lips together, Mikan tugged her arm back, and he let go. With a squeal, she stumbled backwards, but two strong arms caught her shoulders and steadied her. It was then that she realized that her had only came up to Natsume's chin.

He looked angry. "If you do _anything _that might injure her, and therefore my chances of making more money from her winnings, I'll have to knock every tooth out of your mouth."

Though she'd heard the threat before, it still scared her.

"You're not her boyfriend."

"No, but she's my athlete."

Mikan stepped between them. She thought about pushing Tsubasa back, but she didn't want to even touch him, so she turned to face Natsume, gave him a sincere look, put both hands on his perfectly tone chest, and nudged him gently back.

"Calm down," she said, looking over her shoulder at Tsubasa. "I'm going to agree with Natsume. He's my trainer, he has a right to be in control of who touches me and how they touch me. I broke up with you for a good reason, Tsubasa, so don't try to make things right again. I don't want to see you again."

"I could call you so many bad things right now," he said through clenched teeth. "But I'm not going to, because I'm nicer than that."

"At least I'm not a cheater," she sneered.

Natsume grabbed her upper arm and turned around, leading her away. "You have training to do."

"I thought you said I didn't," Mikan replied, frowning, though she was glad he was taking her away from him.

"You do now."

* * *

"Why am I doing this?" Mikan asked, groaning for what seemed like the thousandth time over the last two days. "This had nothing to do with running or jumping."

Natsume was currently making her do squats, those evil little things in that the person had their back against a hard surface and had their knees at a ninety-degree angle, as if sitting. She also had to have her arms out in front of her and had to be on the balls of her feet.

"Builds strength in the quadriceps," he answered, watching her struggle to stay on her feet.

"You just like watching me suffer," she accused.

He shrugged. "That too."

Of course, he made her do everything on the beach, seeing as it was much harder. She had her back against the rough brick wall that was barely high enough to use in such a way, and her feet were constantly slipping on the sand.

Two minutes had passed.

Moaning again, she collapsed to the ground. "You're so mean!"

"I know."

She sighed. "What am I going to do about Tsubasa?" she asked, kind of to no one but sort of to him.

He shrugged again. "Get revenge."

She looked up at him from the corner of her eye, and then she shot to her feet, beaming. "You're brilliant!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands together. "Now all I need is an idea." She was still smiling. "I'll ask Hotaru."

"Do you even have a reason to hate him, other than that he's a clingy good for nothing son of a bitch?"

She frowned at his language, and the smile disappeared. "He cheated on me. Nice insult, though."

He picked up her bag of clothes and tossed it at her. "And how would you know?"

"I walked in on them." She shuddered. "They were half naked. It was the most disgusting thing I've seen in my entire life."

* * *

"Well, he's a jealous freak," Hotaru said as she walked alongside Mikan and Natsume and Ruka down the street. "Just kiss another guy in front of him." The tone she used proved her devilishness.

"But who?" Mikan whined.

Hotaru shrugged. "Him?" She jabbed her thumb in Natsume's direction.

Mikan stopped in her tracks, glanced at Natsume, blushed a little, and then looked back to Hotaru, who had stopped and turned to look at her. "Um…no. We hate each other."

She rolled her eyes. "Figure it out yourself then." She looked around. "Can we stop by your house? I need a place to sleep."

Mikan nearly stopped breathing. "No!" She said it almost too quickly.

Hotaru stared at her, her eyes piercing.

"Uh…I'm staying at his house," she finished lamely, pointing at Natsume.

"No, you aren't," Natsume said dryly.

Mikan turned so that Hotaru couldn't see her face. She gave Natsume a pleading look. "Remember? You said you need to get me up super early and you need to make sure that I eat a proper breakfast."

Hotaru didn't look convinced. "I need to see your mom."

"She's working tonight." That part, at least, was true. Mikan jogged to catch up with them, and then they started walking.

"You can stay at my house," Ruka offered politely.

Hotaru shook her head. "You look like an animal lover. I hate animals. I'll rent a hotel."

They walked a little longer in silence.

"Natsume…" Mikan seemed to fidget under his stare. "Can you _please _kiss me in front of Tsubasa?"

"No." His answer was simple.

She frowned at him. "But you don't like him, and it'll make him back off."

He seemed to ponder the subject, seeing as the hating part was definitely true. "I'm not going to kiss you if he doesn't come near you. If he does, then I will, and _only _because I don't want him jeopardizing anything."

She smiled. "Okay. Sounds good. Thank you!"

* * *

Why, _why _did things always turn out this way?

Tsubasa walked calmly towards Mikan and Natsume as they just started their morning run along the beach. Mikan hadn't even broken out into sweat, which was saying something, when he came along.

While he was still out of earshot, Mikan swung around to face Natsume. "I just met you!" she wailed quietly. "This is so weird! And Hotaru's probably going to manage to get a picture. My life is over."

"Then don't do it," Natsume said. No emotion. She hated when she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"You're no help."

"Mikan." Tsubasa stopped behind her.

She turned around and glared at him. "What?" she hissed.

"I was just coming to say bye. I'm flying back to the States today."

Her expression lightened. "Really?"

He nodded sadly.

She punched her fist into the air triumphantly. "Yes!"

Tsubasa glanced over her shoulder at Natsume, almost nervously, and then he grabbed Mikan's wrist, pulled her in, and landed a kiss right on her lips.

Mikan barely had time to wrap her mind around the situation when Natsume grabbed her shoulders, hauled her back, stepped in front of her, and then nailed Tsubasa right in the kisser. The movement was so swift that it went by in a flash.

All she really remembered was watching Tsubasa stumble back with his hands on his face. If she hadn't been so shocked she probably would have burst out laughing, but since she was shocked, she just stood there, her eyes wide with shock.

Then she emotions kicked in. "You pervert!" she screamed, dragging her fingers repeatedly over her lips. "That's disgusting! We _broke up_! You make a mistake! You don't deserve a girlfriend!"

Natsume stepped back. "When I say hands off my athlete, I mean lips, too."

Tsubasa's hands were still covering his nose. "You bastard."

Mikan glared at him. "I moved on. Now you have to."

Tsubasa met her gaze evenly. "You haven't."

"Yes, I have. I don't try to make up with you, because I don't want to be with you."

Giving him a sidelong glance, she grabbed Natsume's hand and started off at a jog, anxious to get away from him.

* * *

"There are _rules _to letting you train me?" Mikan stared, astounded, at the contract lying on the table in front of her. Her eyes scanned over a few. "I'm not allowed to back out and let someone else train me." She thought that sounded reasonable. "I have to listen to you at all times." That was a bit unreasonable. "I'm not allowed to kiss you." Her mouth dropped open. "What do you take me for?"

They were sitting back at the café they had been at the day before.

He shrugged. "Just in case."

"You're unbelievable." She read through some more of the rules. "I'm not allowed to be late for _anything_, certainly not races or competitions." That made sense. "I can't fake sick just because I want to skip training. I'm not allowed to skip training for anything." She looked up at him. "What if I'm deathly ill?"

"Then too bad for you." He was leaning back in the booth, ignoring all the stares and giggles he was getting from the girls around him. His hands were linked behind his head and his elbows were out; a casual pose.

She glowered at him. "You're mean."

He rolled his eyes.

She continued reading, and then she bit her lip and stared at him, who stared back, unmoved. "I'll sign it," she said after a moment of silence. "But you have to be at least a _little _nicer."

"Sure. Whatever." He handed her the pen.

Mikan hesitantly put the ball to the paper and neatly wrote her name. The words were almost screaming at her to stop…

…screaming at her to warn her that she was probably going to break every one of those rules. All of them.

* * *

Aiko rushed into the living room just as her daughter flopped down on the couch that she slept on. She was holding another newspaper, a worried or concerned look plastered on her face.

"Mikan, darling, have you seen this?"

Mikan groaned. "How many times do I have to tell you not to spend your money on those?"

Aiko ignored her and sat down beside her on the lumpy cushions, shoving the newspaper into her hands, which were lying on her lap.

Mikan rolled her eyes and glanced at the headline.

**Natsume and Luna; An Arranged Marriage.**

A smirk slowly found its way to her lips.

* * *

A/N: Okay...It's a LITTLE longer.Hehe. Nothing to say here...other than THANK YOU SO MUCH for all my reviews, favorites, ect. Means along :D

xoxo  
Ducky-san


	4. One Rule Broken

No, unfortunately I don't own Gakuen Alice. You know the drill.

* * *

Mikan skipped happily to the beach, wearing the outfit that Hotaru had given her again and having all of her gym clothes in the plastic bag in her hand, swinging by her legs. She was looking forward to something…

She pranced down the stairs and landed softly in the sand, and then she ran the rest of the way to their usual meeting place. The sand got under her bare feet, hurting her toes where the straps of her flip flops rested, but she could care less. With a giant leap, she did a two foot stop in front of Natsume, her long hair falling over her shoulders, her fingers interlocking behind her, the goofy smile still on her face.

Even Natsume had to admit she looked cute.

Ruka hadn't arrived yet.

"What?" Natsume said emotionlessly, staring down at her.

"_You're _engaged!" she said mockingly.

He stared at her a moment longer, and then he turned around and crouched down in front of his black duffel bag. "You don't come here to mock me, you come here to train."

Mikan crouched down beside him, her hands on her knees. "But you're getting engaged to Luna! She's the world's best, hottest model!" She frowned. "But I heard she's really cocky and mean."

"It's an arranged marriage," he stated irritably. "I didn't ask for it."

The smirk returned. "Oh, so you don't like her?"

"Not one bit."

"Nice."

"Not really."

She stood up. "Why don't you tell her?"

"Why would I do that?"

Now she was confused. "Because you don't like her."

"So? Like my dad would let me out of it. He doesn't believe in falling in love. Neither do I."

Mikan looked offended. "How can you not believe in something like that?" she gasped. "It's a…a…_sin _not to! Love is the strongest bond you could ever have with someone. It's like a double friendship, with someone you care about so much that you're not afraid to tell them _anything._"

He stood up and stared down at her again, blankly. "Are you going to break out in song or dance?"

She laughed. "No. I'm simply saying that you should give it a chance."

Natsume's attention was grabbed by something over her shoulder, and she turned around, the smile still in place. "Hi, Ruka!" she greeted cheerfully. "Why are you late this beautiful day?"

Ruka was smiling, though he was looking down at a cell phone in his hand. When he heard her voice, he snapped it shut and held it out to her. "Here you go, Mikan," he said lightly. "I thought it would be useful for you to have this. I already programmed mine and Natsume's number into it, in case of emergencies."

Mikan stared at in shock before taking it. "Thank you," she said, smiling again.

"No problem," he said, walking over to Natsume's side. "I thought it might be a good idea with that serial killer on the loose."

The color drained from her face. "Excuse me?"

Natsume snorted. "You haven't heard? Police have linked eight murders of young women to one person, and they haven't caught him."

Pale, she glared at them. "Thanks for that."

* * *

Natsume forced her to keep running, even after almost an hour. She was breathing heavily. She felt dizzy and sick. She was mentally cursing him. And, of course, she was wondering what she had gotten herself into.

But she was always wondering that.

"I would last a whole lot longer if we didn't do this on the beach!" she groaned in frustration as she stumbled for what seemed like the hundredth time. "Why can't we run on the street like normal people?"

"Just think of how much better you'll do on sturdy ground. It'll be a breeze for you," he said dryly.

"Still!" She stumbled again, almost falling flat on her face. "Do you honestly want to be all sweaty for Luna when you get home? I mean, aren't you old enough to do…adult things with her?" She couldn't find a more innocent way to put it.

Natsume stopped abruptly and swung around to face her, a movement so fast and graceful that she found herself running into him, stumbling back, and falling on her butt. He made her feel so shallow.

"I don't like her," he said in disgust. "What makes you think I would touch her?"

Mikan glared at him. "Okay, okay, calm down." She pushed herself back to her feet and dusted off her spandex shorts. "Honestly, though, if you hate her that much, you should get out of the marriage."

He returned the glare. "My dad won't let me, if you were listening."

She frowned. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"You're an adult. Your dad has no control over you anymore." She scratched her arm and then looked up at him, smiling. "Get a girlfriend that you actually love, and then marry her instead. Ignore your dad's rules." She smiled one last time before starting to run again.

Natsume rolled his eyes and started after her. It wasn't until they were nearing the halfway point of their jog that they ran into trouble. They were getting up onto the sidewalk so that they could get to another set of stairs to turn around, a sidewalk that was right beside a street.

Mikan was running on the very edge of the street, right next to the curb, for some reason that even she wasn't quite sure of, and Natsume was on the sidewalk.

It happened fast. One minute there was a screech of wheels on pavement, and then Mikan was stopping and staring in terror at the silver Porsche tearing towards her, and then Natsume's hand was on her arm and she was in his arms, on the sidewalk, away from harm's way.

And then Natsume was muttering something under his breath and running over to the driver's side of the car that was now stopped in front of them.

Mikan, her hand over her heart and her eyes still unnaturally wide, wobbled unsteadily over to the low bars that acted as a fence and grasped them for support, her back facing the car and Natsume.

She could hear them clearly, though.

"What do you think you're doing?" Natsume shouted. "You could have killed her!"

"Good!" a female voice shouted back.

Mikan cringed.

"You shouldn't be spending time with her anyway!" the voice continued. "You should be with me! We should be getting our pictures taken together with the press. I shouldn't be seeing you and her all over the front page of magazines and newspapers!" It must have been Luna.

"She's my athlete!"

Mikan put her hand to her forehead, only to find that she was unusually hot. She frowned to herself, thinking around the building headache. Come to think of it, she couldn't remember having anything to drink since the morning before, which would mean she had gone at least twenty-four hours with no liquid in her body.

She cursed to herself. Dehydration and exercise was not a good combination.

"I don't care! You should be spending more time with me!"

That was the least thing she remembered before feeling faint and eventually losing her footing and colliding with the pavement.

Natsume looked over in her direction. "Shit," he muttered, turning his back on Luna and jogging over to where Mikan lay on the hot ground. He put his hand on her forehead before pulling his cell phone out of its case and dialing Ruka's number. "Ruka, go buy lots of water." Without waiting for a reply, he slammed the phone shut and stuffed it back into its case, and then he scooped up Mikan's limp body.

He carried her down the stairs and ran with her towards the ocean water. As soon as he could feel the water soaking through his shoes, he dropped to his knees and set her gently down in the cold liquid that he body was currently lacking. He dipped his hand in it and put it to her forehead.

Ruka was there in minutes, two oversized bottles of water in his hands, a concerned look on his face. It proved to be good that he had installed trackers on Natsume and Mikan's phones.

Natsume took one of the bottles and forced Mikan's mouth open. He poured some of the refreshing beverage into her mouth and waited.

Mikan's eyes flickered open and she swallowed the water, and Natsume gave her the bottle, which she took gladly. She chugged at least half and then took a deep breath, looking up at the faces of her trainers.

Natsume was sitting in the water beside her, his arm supporting her back. He once again wore a blank look, while Ruka stood over them, still worried, with an unopened bottle of water in his right hand.

She sighed. "Sorry."

Natsume narrowed his eyes. "Why the hell are you dehydrated?" he snapped. "You should know better."

She glared back up at him. "Yeah, coming from the rich superstar," she spat. "Unlike you, me and my mom can't exactly afford great water."

Ruka pushed his hair off of his forehead and released a sigh. "We'll pay your mom this after noon when we bring you back home. It was part of the contract anyway."

Mikan handed the water bottle back to Natsume and rested her head against her knees. "I feel sick," she muttered. "I don't want to run all the way back." She looked up at her trainers, her eyes pleading. "Can we walk back."

"Of course!" Ruka exclaimed. "We're not going to make you run back."

Mikan looked accusingly at Natsume. "_He_ would."

"Natsume!"

Natsume ignored the voice, but Mikan's eyes traveled curiously in its direction, instantly regretting it when she saw Luna stomping, or rather, _stumbling_, in her three inch heels through the sand towards them. As she looked away, her eyes skipped across a lone figure standing against metal bars that acted like a fence, where she remembered standing.

It looked like a man, dressed in a casual jeans and a T-shirt, despite the heat, with a red ball cap covering his head.

Natsume followed her nervous gaze. "Ignore him," he instructed. "Some pervert either watching you or Luna."

Mikan cowered against him, both because of the dangerous aura she was getting from the approaching Luna as well as the creepy feeling she was getting from the man with the hat.

He rolled his eyes. "Get up. We can't sit here all day."

"Natsume!" Luna was fuming when she stopped beside Ruka, safely out of the water.

Natsume, still ignoring her, slipped his arms beneath Mikan's legs and picked her up, his other arm still behind her back. Both of them had streams of water dripping from their shirts, and each step Natsume took felt as though he were walking in puddles.

"Put her down!" Luna shouted.

Instead of listening, Natsume walked right by her, only stopping briefly to say, "Make me."

* * *

Mikan mumbled to herself irritably. Of course, after they had told her about some crazy serial killer, Natsume had requested her, through text message, that she was to meet them at the beach. Well, technically it wasn't at the beach, but overlooking the beach. Whatever it was, she knew where she was going.

But she was suspicious.

She flipped her phone open with a sigh as she strode out of the shack she shared with her mother, who was not currently home, trying to recall how to get to the text messages. This device was new to her, and she hadn't quite gotten the hang of it; it had taken her more than a minute to reply to the text she had received with the word 'Okay'.

When she finally got to the message, she frowned for what seemed like the hundredth time since receiving it.

Natsume's exact words in the message were 'Can you please meet me at the park by the beach, the one across the street from the downtown library?'

Now, how unlike Natsume was it to be polite, to her of all people?

Silly Mikan…

* * *

Natsume cursed to himself as he went through the options on his phone. He looked up to see where he had ended up, only to realize that it was dark enough.

He glanced at the time on the little screen, and it read almost eleven o'clock in the evening. He stopped in his tracks, turned on his heel, and headed back in the direction he had come from.

Oh yes, it was dark enough.

Definitely dark enough for a murder.

* * *

Mikan stopped, her breath hitching in her throat. Oh, _why _did she want to take the shortcut? Why did she think that the quicker she got to Natsume the safer she would be? Well, it was true, but walking through back alleys at the hour it currently was could not have been good.

There was a man lounging against the brick wall that belonged to the back of the library. She was out of sight from everyone, but if Natsume was at the park, which was just around the corner, her scream would do her good.

Too bad she was too scared to get anything out of her mouth.

_So, I guess this is goodbye, hey? _Her thoughts were frantic but coherent. _I'm going to die here, and no one's going to miss me. Well, mom will, and maybe Hotaru._

"I've been watching you, Mikan Sakura." The man's voice was deep and dangerous sounding. "Natsume Hyuuga's athlete, a prize indeed."

Frozen in fear, she found her thoughts wandering. All of this drama made her feel a lot like she was the main character of some kind of book. I mean, in the books, all the bad things happen to the main characters, right?

"What so good about that?" she managed to choke out.

"You're fit, you're famous, and I can get a high ransom for you," the man replied, pushing himself off of the wall and taking a step towards her. "Natsume wouldn't give up such a prized possession without a fight." He began a slow walk towards her, and soon his arm was reached out and his fingers were coiling around her neck.

She could see his muscles flexing in the dim light coming from some distant street light.

She couldn't tell if she was breathing.

The fingers on her throat tightened.

Mikan reached up and tried to pry them off.

"I think this might be easier if you're unconscious." And then she was flying across the alley, to the place where he had been standing when she first saw him.

"Hands off." The voice was soothing, stern, familiar, and the last thing she heard before her head made contact with the brick wall behind her.

* * *

The pounding in her head was her wakeup call, a pain that was so severe that it frightened her. Not to mention her back was sore, her neck was stiff, and she was horrible hungry. She wished she could go back to sleep.

Groaning, her eyes flickered open. Her hand instantly went to her head. It was dark, with only a few dots of light, which she soon figured out was the night sky.

Frowning, she started to sit up.

"Don't move." The voice was commanding, but impossible not to recognize.

"Natsume?" she muttered, ignoring the order and sitting up all the way, wincing at the throbbing in her head. "What happened?" She only remembered up to getting thrown into a wall, not a pleasant memory.

"Do you ever listen?"

She looked around. They were in the park that she knew she was supposed to meet him at, and she was lying on a bench, Natsume sitting on the little space by her feet. He had his arms crossed over his chest, a blank look on his face as he stared straight ahead, watching the moonlight and starlight dancing on the rippling water.

Her head pounding, she closed her eyes, her hand on the back of the bench to hold her up. "What happened?" she managed to say. "I feel like I just got hit by a train."

"That man Ruka and I were talking about earlier, that serial killer, was the man you ran into. He threw you into a wall, and then I clobbered him and tied him to a dumpster." His eyes did not move.

"Well, I definitely wasn't expecting that," she mumbled, flinging her legs over the side of the bench and leaning back, her eyes glued to Natsume's angelic features. "Are you okay?"

He turned to her, his eyes meeting hers in a stare. He looked like he had so much to say, but, without any sign of changing his mind about anything, he looked away, saying, "I'm fine." He waited a moment longer, and then stood up. "But you're not. I should probably take you to the hospital." He was standing over her.

Her eyes followed every movement, wide with curiosity. "I'm fine," she assured him. "Just a headache."

He reached out and his hand made contact with the back of her head. He felt around a bit, the same look on his face, and then prodded at the spot where it hurt the most. She winced, and he noticed.

"You need x-rays."

"I disagree," she persisted stubbornly.

"Too bad."

"I'm not going."

"Do you want to risk dying because of blood clots in your brain?"

"I'll take my chances."

He pulled his hands away and held them up in the dim light. "You're bleeding."

She pursed her lips. "It'll stop."

"That's what you think."

"It is." Before he could reply, she continued. "What are the chances that that guy would know I was going to be here?"

"Because he was the one that invited you," Natsume replied with a shrug. "I left my phone at a Café a few blocks away and when I went back to get it, the cashier said some man turned it in. I went through my outbox, and the bastard wasn't smart enough to delete what he had sent. He was the one that told you to meet here."

She frowned. "I hate cell phones."

"Why didn't you call when you first saw him?"

"I was scared." She shrugged and stood up. They were barely inches apart; she had to look up at him. "I wouldn't have had time anyway. He would have killed me before that."

"Probably."

* * *

Mikan stared unwillingly into the looming darkness. Natsume had given her a day off to rest her head, and she did. She slept for well over 12 hours, and now that it was night again, she didn't know what to do.

Her mom was working.

Hotaru had texted her shocking news that ruined her entire night.

Apparently, Tsubasa's flight had been cancelled due to some storm wherever he was landing. He was staying at the same hotel that Hotaru was at, though he wasn't aware of it. He wasn't leaving until the next day.

She felt her eyes watering. She hated it. She hated having a guy constantly chasing after her when it was clear that she didn't hold the same feelings for him. And not to mention, keeping such a big secret from Hotaru was not helping, nor was the thought of how she had just about been killed.

She needed to talk to someone.

Her mom wouldn't let her keep a secret from Hotaru.

Ruka was too nice and would only listen.

Talking to Hotaru would make no sense.

Tsubasa? Not a chance.

There was only one person she could think of now.

Natsume. Natsume Hyuuga.

She pulled out her cell phone, the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, leaving trails of saltwater. Slowly, she began to type a message to Natsume.

_Can you meet me at the park?_

Closing her phone, she continued to stare out into the nothingness around her. She wondered what Natsume had done with the criminal. As if he needed the reward that was offered for catching him.

Ten minutes passed before she got a reply.

_Why?_

_Because I need to talk to you._

_Whatever._

So she got up and headed out towards the park, having her phone in her hand at all times in case she needed to call 911. She managed to make it safely to the park.

She sat restlessly on the bench she had woken up on the night before, and after a few minutes, she headed over to the huge, climbable tree. Without thinking much of it, she stuffed her phone into her pocket and began to climb.

She didn't climb high, for she knew that falling would be deadly.

Sitting there in silence, unnoticed, allowed her to dose off.

It wasn't until she felt the hand on her arm did she awaken, her heart in her throat.

"Don't panic." The voice was too familiar not to recognize.

She sighed in relief. "Natsume," she breathed.

"Who did you expect?" Natsume replied. He was standing on a branch beneath the one she was sitting on, and his arms were hanging over the one she was sitting on.

She turned slightly to face him. "I don't know. A rapist?"

"You're riding pretty good. I think you're safe."

"Well I feel a whole lot better with you here," she admitted with a shrug. "Not going to lie."

He rolled his eyes. "What did you want to talk about?" He shuffled over, out of her way, almost as if he knew she was going to fall.

She sighed. "I'm having troubles motivating myself."

He raised an eyebrow. "Motivating yourself? For what?"

She looked down at her hands, which were folded on her lap. Then she looked up at him guiltily from under her eyelashes. "To keep living."

He stared at her for a minute. "Are you kidding?"

She shook her head. "Not even a little. Sorry for dragging you into this. It's weird, but you're the only person I wanted to talk to. I was just-" Her voice was cut off when she suddenly lost her balance. She swung her arms in attempt to regain herself, but it didn't work. She slid off the branch, ready for her death, but was surprised to find herself falling on something a lot closer to the tree than she expected, and something that made a hollow sound when she landed.

Groaning, she opened her eyes and sat up.

She was on the hood of a shiny black Dodge Viper. It was Natsume's car. The headlights were on, which was why it had suddenly gotten lighter when he arrived.

Breathing out another sigh, she flopped back, her back somewhat inclined by the windshield.

Natsume dropped down beside her, landing surprisingly gracefully for someone with a build like his. He sat down next to her. "You're lucky you're so unfit that you don't dent my car."

She snorted. "I wouldn't be paying for it."

"Exactly." He rolled over so that he was on his side. "Now what were you saying?"

She shook her head. "Never mind."

"So you called me out here for no reason?"

"I guess so." She shrugged. "Except I have no medical knowledge at all, and I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing that I have a huge lump on my head."

He sat up and reached over her, poking at the sore spot on her head. "Neither. Looks like you're going to live." He laid back down, staring at the sky. "You're the most trouble any of our athletes has caused us. You should be guilty."

"I am, don't worry."

"You're back to training tomorrow. We're going to do one five kilometer run and then we're going to practice some high jump." He turned back onto his side. "If you hit your head and start gushing out blood again, don't expect me to save you."

She was shifting her position when her hand hit his elbow, which had been supporting him. He managed to catch himself with his hand on the other side of her, the side farthest from her, meaning that he was looming over top of her.

"This is sort of a compromising position," Mikan stated.

He stared down at her, making no move to change their setup. For what seemed like ages, they just stared each other down on the hood of his car.

"You're making it very hard to believe I wanted to die about five minutes ago."

"Do you still want to die?" he asked.

"Yes."

He shifted so that he was more comfortable, almost in a pushup position over her. With the arm that was closest to him, he reached up and brushed his fingers along her jawbone. "Now?"

She shuddered. "A little."

He leaned down closer to her, until his lips were just centimeters from her ear. "Why would you think such a thing?" he asked seductively.

"You wouldn't understand."

His hand traveled down her arm, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. "I might."

"I doubt it." Her heart was racing.

He moved his mouth to corner of hers. "Now?"

"Not so much."

Finally, his lips covered hers in a blood boiling kiss that sent shivers down her spine and set off explosions in the pit of her stomach.

She had just broken the first rule.

* * *

A/N: Okay. I really have no excuse for this extremely long update. The only days i have an excuse for are last Friday, since that was my track meet, and the Thursday before, because i was on an overnight field trip at a hostel (totally awesome!) except i missed the fishing and the fire building on Friday because i went home early to go to my track meet. Then on June 2 it was my birthday, and i had to go to my older sister's band concert for two hours, which meant i didn't get to eat until 9:30 qt night. Now i have serious boy troubles. If you want to know, just ask, I'll be happy to tell you.

Now, I finally updated, and i hope you enjoyed it at least a little bit. I don't know when i'll be able to update again, because it's the end of the year and that means exams. I'm hoping to exepmt science, but still. hehe. My first priority is to finally update A Memorable Trip. I've started writing it, which is big, seeing as i haven't even bothered lately.

Instead of boring you to death with my rambling, I'm going to let you go and review :P

Thanks so much to the people who are already reviewing. I LOVE YOU ALL!!

xoxo  
Ducky-san


	5. Run It Out

No, unfortunately I don't own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

**Mikan's POV**

_Stupid Natsume, _I growled to myself. _I'm going to punch him in the face the very minute I see him. The nerve! How dare he kiss me! _I frowned. _How dare he make me kiss him back!_

_Oh, yeah, he can totally make you do that, _my conscience said sarcastically. _Just admit it. You liked it._

_I don't like him! _I glowered as I stuffed my legs into my skinny jeans that Hotaru had recently given me. It was hot out, as usual, and jeans probably weren't my best pick, but I liked them, and wanted to wear them anyway, along with the white tank top Hotaru had given me along with the jeans.

_I didn't say you did, _my conscience reminded me. _I said you liked the kiss._

_Same difference! _I buttoned the pants up and scanned myself in the mirror.

_Not really, _my conscience disagreed.

_Shut up! You're not even real!_

_That's what you think…_

I stomped my foot angrily and tossed my head between my hands repeatedly. "Get out of my head!" I screeched.

"Mikan?" Aiko popped her head through the half open door, a curious expression on her face. "Are you all right?"

I spun around, my hand shooting to the back of my head. "Uh, yeah, sorry," I said, laughing nervously. "I'm just…" I turned around and stared at my reflection in the mirror, making a face. "…getting ready for high jump today," I finished lamely.

She raised her eyebrow. "You were talking to yourself," she said slowly.

"I'm motivating myself," I replied quickly.

Smiling warmly, she leaned against the doorframe. "You'll do fine, baby," she said softly.

I smiled back.

"You look nice, by the way." Then she was gone.

I turned back to my mirror, sighing, my smile disappearing. I smoothed out my shirt and picked up my bag of sports clothes from my bed. "Stupid Natsume," I mumbled before walking out of my room.

* * *

"You're late, little girl," Natsume said dryly as he wrote something down on his clipboard.

"Whatever," I mumbled, looking around.

We were standing in the middle of a large track by a high school. The circle around was 400 meters, leaving a fair bit of space in the middle for another rubbery part of the ground to be home to a big, thick, crash mat and two intimidating looking poles that held the threatening stick up.

Natsume and Ruka were standing on either side of the mat, by the poles.

I was already changed, my hair pulled up into a high ponytail.

"We just want to see where you are for high jump for now," Ruka said, marking something down on his own clipboard. "We'll set it low, and you can give it a try."

I rolled my eyes. I was actually pretty good at high jump. I'd done it and placed at least top three every year since grade six. Track didn't cost.

But I knew top three wasn't good enough for these guys, mainly Natsume. All he wanted was first. Not second, not third.

I walked backwards and to the side until I was comfortable. They both raised the bar on their sides, marked something down on their clipboards, and then turned and waited for me to jump.

I gauged the distance with my eyes, tilting my head to get a better look, squinting into the sun.

"It's at 130 centimeters!" Ruka called.

_Easy._

I started off at a jog, slowly getting faster while I curved toward the mat. I made my timing perfect by stepping carefully, and then I lifted my inside leg, swung my arms up, and flew over the bar, not even brushing it."Good," Ruka said, checking something on his paper. "We'll raise it some more."

I noticed Natsume glance at his watch.

"I have to go," he said, bending down to where his bag was lying by his feet. "When I get back, we can carry on. For now, do twelve and a half laps around the track." He picked his bag up after tucking his clipboard in it somewhere and then slung the strap over his shoulder.

My mouth fell open. "Twelve and a half laps? Are you kidding me?"

"That's 5 kilometers. I told you that you would be doing that."

I sneered. "Fine."

He turned to Ruka. "Monitor her. Make sure she does the right amount of laps, and make sure she doesn't trip and hurt herself." He shot a glance at me, and I spat my tongue out in return. "I'll be back in an hour."

I stomped my way over to the edge of the track and walked to the start line, so that I would know where to end. My hands were clenched into fists as I stared at the black ground in disgust.

Someone was going to pay.

I don't know how long I was running for. I probably did over 5 kilometers, because I was barely paying attention to what I was doing. It wasn't until I heard tires coming rapidly to a stop and recognized Natsume's car in the parking lot. Four guys got out, and I slowed to a sloppy walk, panting.

Natsume led the way across the field, the three other guys following him like ducklings following their mother.

I chuckled at the thought.

Ruka jogged over to meet them, and I saw him giving a manly hug to each of the three guys before walking alongside Natsume.

I gave them one last curious glance before shrugging and starting to run again. I was in the middle of thinking about that horrid moment the previous night, when Natsume… I couldn't even think about it. I must have been crazy.

"Mikan, I think you can call it a quits!" Ruka called.

I rolled my eyes and stopped again. I turned to face them, crossing my arms over my chest. I debated ignoring him and continuing running, but I was tired, thirsty, and I would much rather ignore Natsume.

I walked slowly over to where Ruka and Natsume were standing with the other three boys. I tightened my ponytail self-consciously.

"Is she done?" Natsume asked, scanning me.

"She did seventeen laps," Ruka replied.

I frowned. "I did?"

The three boys laughed.

I shot them a dangerous glare.

Natsume raised his eyebrow. "This is Koko, Haru, and Kenta." He pointed at each as he said their names. "Childhood friends of Ruka and I."

"She's hot," the one called Koko said.

I gave him a look of disbelief and then turned back to Natsume. "I'm not doing anything in front of them."

"You don't have a choice," Natsume replied, dropping his bag and unzipping it. He pulled out his clipboard. "You can choose between running or high jump." He marked something down on his paper.

There was a series of 'oh's' from Koko, Haru, and Kenta. I didn't see what was so great about his comment. It was just Natsume being the jerk he was and thinking that he had complete control over me, which was clearly not true.

"I'm not doing either," I growled.

"Natsume, she's done enough running," Ruka agreed. "Cut her some slack."

"She was late."

"So?" I exploded, throwing my hands up in the air.

"You should be punished."

I had to clench my fists to refrain from nailing him in the face. I closed my eyes, turned around so that my back was to all five boys, I took a few deep breaths, and when I turned back around, I felt calmer. I walked over to my bag, picked it up, and started for the exit of the track.

"I signed you up for a race."

I stopped, turned back around, took a couple more of calming breaths, and then smiled. "Thanks, Natsume," I said sarcastically. "Don't you need my consent or something? Like a signature?"

"Obviously not."

"Okay. Then whatever."

"Three days. Saturday. Nine AM."

I started walking again. "I'll be there."

_Ugh! The nerve of that guy! _

* * *

"Mikan, what have you gotten yourself into?" Hotaru shook her head in disapproval.

"Hey," I said with a frown. "I did it for my mom."

She motioned to where Natsume and Ruka once again stood with their three perverted friends, and an extra female body. "That's torture, woman," she pointed out. "You're going to embarrass yourself."

I slapped her on the back. "That's why you're here."

"To get pictures, yes."

I rolled my eyes. "No. To stand up for me."

"Whatever."

"There she is!" Ruka announced. "There's our star."

I shrunk under Luna's evil glare.

"I'm not a star yet," I mumbled, dropping my bag on the track. "I'm an amateur."

Ruka chuckled. "Yeah, but you're not bad for an amateur. Natsume and I expect 100 effort from you on Saturday, and we expect a top twenty finish."

"Out of how many?" I said dully.

Ruka bit his lip. "A hundred and thirty."

My mouth dropped open. "Top twenty out of one hundred and thirty?" I exclaimed. "Are you crazy? Those standards are way too high for me. I'm not that fast! And these chicks are probably going to be really good. You can't expect me to get top twenty!"

"Mikan, you're not a bad runner. You're good for being so unfit."

"That's probably from getting chased by all of her crazy contraptions." I jabbed my thumb at Hotaru.

"She won't do it." Luna sounded so sure of herself.

I shot her a glare. "What do you know?"

"You're expected to get top twenty because you're being trained by top trainers for no cost. In fact, we're paying you." Natsume wasn't looking at me, but at his clipboard. "If you don't meet our standards, we're going to push you until you do. You're capable of top twenty."

I sighed. "I'll try my best, you know that."

"I bet she'll place," Koko piped up.

"I bet she won't," Haru wagered, sticking out his hand. "Five bucks."

"Ten," Koko bargained. "Ten bucks."

"Deal."

They shook on it.

I scowled. "I guess we'll find out."

"She's not going to make it past the first kilometer," Luna said.

I clenched my fists and turned to face her. "What the hell is your problem?" I snapped. "Get a grip!" I turned away and made a face. "I guess Ms. Perfect isn't so perfect after all. She can't run, so she's mad that I can do something better than her." I was still loud enough for her to hear, and I was mocking her by making faces. "Or she's mad because she thinks that the poor, lonely athlete of her future husband is going to steal his heart. _Yeah, right! _Ms. Perfect thinks Ms. Imperfect is going to make sure she doesn't become _Mrs_. Perfect."

"Ladies, enough," Ruka said.

"In other words," Natsume said, "Luna, shut up."

She wasn't paying much attention. She was too busy glaring at my back. "Bitch."

I shrugged. "Call me what you want."

"Mikan, you're not imperfect," Ruka said sincerely.

I spun to face him. "Don't lie to me. I can't do anything right. I can't even run right." Why was I suddenly so angry? "I'm hopeless. You're wasting your time and money on me. I'm not good enough."

Natsume clenched his jaw. He dropped his clipboard onto his bag and then walked up to me. He grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the rest of the group, out of earshot. Ruka followed.

"I don't ever want to hear you say that," Natsume said. Though his voice was blank, the force it used made me want to obey. I could tell he was angry. "You're not hopeless, you're not wasting our time. I don't even want to hear you say that you're not good enough. If you weren't good enough, you wouldn't be standing here right now."

"Right," Ruka agreed. "Have a little more faith, Mikan. Give it your best."

My heart fluttered as I stared back at Natsume. I mentally slapped myself.

"Okay," I said pathetically. "I won't."

He nodded once, and then turned and walked back to the group. I could feel Luna's glare boring into me, and I turned my back on her, bowing my head and covering my face with one hand.

Ruka patted my back. "Relax. She's not going to kill you."

"She already tried," I muttered.

"She didn't mean it," he assured me.

I didn't buy it.

"Polka Dots. Run. Now."

I didn't look over. I just started to run. I kept my head down, fighting back my tears. It was a lot harder to run when you were fighting like I was, but I did it because I had to.

I heard Hotaru's boring drawl as she said something, and then I heard Ruka agree. And then there was someone running next to me.

"Luna's scaring you," Natsume stated.

"You think?" I said dryly. "I didn't even do anything to her."

"Like you said, you have something that she doesn't."

"Is that enough to want to kill me?" I raised my head and turned to face him. "Honestly, how do you put up with her? She's too possessive." I paused. "Don't you, like, sleep together?"

He gave me a look of disbelief. "You ask stupid questions. No I don't sleep with her. I sleep on the couch because I don't want to sleep with her. There are other people I'd rather sleep with."

My eyes narrowed. "Like who?" I said slyly, smirking.

He rolled his eyes. "I didn't mean anyone specific."

I snickered. "Right."

"That reminds me. You seem to like breaking rules."

I blushed. "I have a defense for last night," I said. Even though I had planned it, it wasn't as easy as I had thought. "You kissed me. I didn't break any rules. I didn't ask you to do it, and I didn't do it, so you broke the rule."

"That sounds fair."

I was surprised. "It does?" I frowned, and then shrugged. "Well, of course it does, but I didn't think you would agree with me." I was ranting. "You never agree with me. You don't like me. You just like my 'athletic ability', which is why I don't know why you kissed me, because you don't like me."

"It's my job to make sure mine and Ruka's athletes don't go suicide on us," he replied. "And it worked."

"Okay, so we just forget about it?"

"Yes."

I sighed in relief. "Good, because I don't like you either. I mean, you're like really mean, and you make me sore all the time. You work me too hard, and then you sign me up for my first race and I haven't even been running a lot. Not even a week."

"No, but you were a fair runner to begin with. Your only problem was your health, but that doesn't seem to stop you."

"Natsume!"

I cringed when I heard Luna's voice.

"I'm leaving now!"

"Good," I whispered.

He ignored her, and kept running alongside me. "You've never been in a race before, so you need to know the rules. No pushing, no shoving, no tripping. Nothing that can injure another runner. But just because we tell you not to do it, doesn't mean other trainers will tell their athletes. If someone hurts you, shake it off and keep running. If you can't keep running, go to the sidelines and wait. Someone will find you."

I crinkled my nose. "Running is dangerous? Who would have thought?"

"It is when you're competing for fame."

"I don't want to be famous."

"You don't have to be," he reminded me. "I told you that already. When you start winning, you'll get the treatment that we get, but it doesn't have to stay that way."

I looked around. "Why isn't there any paparazzi? I hardly see any around you."

"That's because I threaten them, stupid girl."

I glared at him. "You're mean."

"How many times are you going to tell me that?"

"Natsume!" Luna yelled again.

I looked over my shoulder and saw the three boys I had met yesterday talking amongst themselves, Hotaru talking to Ruka, and Luna standing on the edge of the track with her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice.

"Ignore her," Natsume ordered.

I turned away. "Oh, yeah, I forgot to ask. Is this race on a track, or a cross country course?"

"Cross country course. The path will be marked with pylons."

The word 'pylons' brought back memories of the drill him and Ruka had me do awhile back. I shuddered involuntarily.

"You have a break tomorrow. Relax, drink water, and don't stress. Sleep well and try not to think about placing. Focus on the sport, not the finish."

I nodded. _This sounds fun…_

* * *

I was nervous. No matter how many times Ruka, Natsume, and Hotaru told me to chill, I couldn't. My shoulders were tight, my legs wouldn't stop moving, and I could feel an invisible hand pressing on my chest, over my heart.

"Get me ten bucks, Mikan!" Koko shouted as he walked with Haru and Kenta to the stands.

Ruka slapped me on the back. "Calm down. This isn't going to be very hard for you. This is an amateur race, since everyone has to start somewhere. Set a goal for yourself, and then work to achieve it."

"My goal is finishing the race," I mumbled.

"Mikan, it's only five kilometers. You can do way more than that, in good time, too. Just run the race."

I bit my lip. "I don't have a choice."

Natsume had ordered I wear the pair of black sweatpants he had bought and the black and blue track jacket that had a list of sponsors, some I hadn't even heard of, on the back, and my name on the right arm. He told me to keep them on until the race started, to keep my body warm.

Hotaru was standing by the announcer's table. She was there to take pictures for newspapers.

Natsume was somewhere else getting my number.

I had time to look at all the other athletes and their trainers. They were everywhere, girls being told to warm up, stretch, or do something else productive…like shoot me dirty looks.

At first I didn't get it, and then Ruka came up and told me, after seeing my worried expression, that it was because I was being trained by top trainers and I might be expected to win. Of course, that didn't sit well with me, since I knew that I wasn't going to win, but I ignored the sickness that those expectations brewed in my stomach.

Natsume returned with a piece of paper in his hand with four safety pins hanging from the corners. He held the paper up so that I could see the numbers.

I was number thirteen.

"Great," I said with a sigh. "Unlucky thirteen."

"You're paranoid," he said sharply. "Turn around and take your coat off."

I did as I was told. I pulled the sleeves of my coat off my arms and folded it over my right arm. I felt the pins poking my skin when Natsume forced them through the material of my spandex-y shirt.

Ruka showed up in front of me. "Okay, you're all set. Remember, you're not racing the other runners, you're racing the clock."

I nodded and released the breath I hadn't known I had been holding.

"Natsume! Ruka!" The voices were everywhere, and I cringed.

The press.

The flurry of questions made me dizzy.

How do you think your new athlete will do in her first race?

Do you think this is too fast for her?

Are you worried at all about the competition?

Ruka waved all the flashing cameras and recorders out of the way. "We'll answer questions after the race," he told them all.

Natsume put his hand on my back and led me away, glaring at any who tried to follow him.

"Good luck!" I heard Ruka call.

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

We stopped at the edge of the path by the starting line.

"Don't trip," Natsume said.

I frowned, but I guessed that it was his way of wishing me luck, so I didn't come up with some rude remark like I usually would have.

"All runners at the starting line!" the announcer called.

I moaned, but Natsume pushed me forward, and I stumbled down the small hill until my feet his the pavement. I did only as I was told, ignoring the looks I got from most of the girls. Some were staring at me with hate, or envy, or some just smiled.

There wasn't much organization when it came to lining up. I guessed I was right smack in the middle.

I took a deep breath and glanced over at the field where I last saw Ruka, Natsume, and the press. They weren't there anymore. I thought I saw Ruka's blonde head making his way to the parking lot with the rest of the trainers. They would meet us at the finish.

The girl beside me, with the long, flowing, pink hair, smiled at me. "First race?" she said softly.

I nodded, unable to form words.

"It'll be fine," she assured me with a giggle. "I'm Anna. You're Mikan, right? Natsume and Ruka's athlete?"

"Yeah," I croaked. "Nice to meet you."

"On your marks!" the announcer shouted.

"Good luck," Anna said before sinking into a ready position.

"Get set…!"

_Oh, God, what the hell am I doing?_

The gun sounded and I started off at a steady jog. The people in front of me seemed to sprint it out, but eventually they began to tire.

I didn't focus on anything or anyone but myself. I kept my eyes locked straight ahead of me and blocked out all the sounds around me. Very little ran through my head. I didn't let my focus whither, but only repeated one line in my head over and over.

_Keep breathing, keep breathing, keep breathing…_

I didn't have anything to tell me how much ground I had gained, or how much I had left. It wasn't like running on a track. It was much more difficult, with hills, holes, and other obstacles that I would have been fine without.

The muscle between my neck and my right shoulder began to ache, and I had to run with my neck craned to the left until it went away.

The other runners weren't as close as I thought they might be. Some were way in front of me, some were way behind me. There was one girl that had been running a few meters in behind me the whole time; I could feel her deadly stare burning holes into my back.

It wasn't until I neared the finish line that I started to see some of the other runners. I counted seventeen people, but that didn't mean I was top twenty, because some could very well be out of my line of sight.

Then I rounded the last bend of the race and saw the finish line, the big sign that created an arch over the path that said 'finish' in flashing letters. I saw no runners standing on the other end of the sign.

I took a quick glance over my shoulder and made a face when I saw a mob of runners racing up behind me, including the girl that I had a feeling didn't like me.

I decided it was time to sprint, since I had bottled my energy up for this moment and I happened to be a fast sprinter.

My legs carried me quickly, but the girl behind me matched my pace. She caught up with me as we streaked past people upon people. I didn't know how many we passed on the course, and I didn't pay any attention to the audience screaming, or the trainers shouting at their athletes to finish hard.

I was too busy running my heart out alongside this girl that I didn't know.

I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that something wasn't going to turn out right.

Just ahead, the finish line loomed. I didn't know how many had already crossed, and I didn't care. All I was doing was improving my time, and possibly beating this girl that looked intent on beating me.

The finish line got closer and closer, and the girl beside me pulled ahead.

I was put the petal to the metal, but she sidestepped as soon as I got beside her, and the bottom of her shoe made contact with my ankle, and I went flying to the side in a mess of arms and legs, just as I crossed the finish line.

Sort of a dramatic finish, I must say.

It wasn't until I stopped rolling, when I hit the edge of the path, did I feel the horrible pain in my foot. It wasn't until then that I started screaming.

The girl that had tripped me had crossed the line before me, that I knew for sure, but I wasn't concerned about that. The only thing I could bring myself to think about was my ankle.

I had rolled over onto my butt, and my right leg was pulled up to my chest and I was clutching at my ankle. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I closed my eyes, flopping over onto my side, still in the same position.

Then I felt someone's arms under me, and I screamed again when the movement caused my foot to move.

"You're going to blow my ears off," Natsume said.

My screaming died and I pried my eyes open. Through the blur of my tears, I saw Natsume's face. His face was turned to his right, and my head was on his left side, so I could only see the side of his face. He was shouting at someone, and it didn't sound like friendly conversation.

I felt him shift his arms under me, and then, in one swift motion, he was dropping to the ground on one knee and swinging me around so that he was supporting most of my weight with the knee that was up. His arm held me upright.

Ruka, who I hadn't seen arrive, dropped a small black bag down beside him as he knelt down by my foot. He lifted the limp limb from where it sat on the ground and began to unlace my shoe. He grabbed my heel with one hand, glanced up at me, and eased the shoe off of my foot.

My hands grasped at the front of Natsume's track jacket until my knuckles turned white, and I whimpered.

"I think she sprained it," Ruka said.

I pinched my eyes shut as he moved it around, and then I jerked my foot away from him. "That hurts," I whispered.

He sighed and stood up, taking my shoe with him. "Get her over to one of the ambulances. I'll talk to the officials."

Natsume stood up, slipping his arms beneath my knees. I saw most girls who had finished the race give me looks of jealousy, probably because I was being carried by what they considered the 'oh-so-sexy Natsume Hyuuga', and some were looking at me curiously. I saw the girl, Anna, giving me a worried look, and I tried to remember if I had seen her in front of me.

"Not bad for your first race, Polka Dots," Natsume said emotionlessly. "Fourteenth. I told you it wouldn't be hard."

I looked up at him. "I got fourteenth?"

He looked over his shoulder, and I felt him step heavily onto the pavement that made up the track. "Depending on whether that other chick gets disqualified or not. If she did, you got thirteenth."

He sat me down on the back of an open ambulance and then looked up at the paramedics behind me. I followed his gaze momentarily, and then looked back at him. "Why do most of these girls hate me?" I already knew the answer.

"Give me a bottle of water," Natsume ordered the paramedic that was still in the ambulance.

A bottle of clear liquid appeared in his hand and he handed it to me. I unscrewed the lid and took a swig.

One of the paramedics hopped down and began examining my foot. I wasn't paying much attention to him, only when he moved my ankle and made me pull my foot away. I was focused on Natsume.

"Your start was a little sloppy," he told me. "We'll have to work on that."

"It's a sprain," the paramedic said as he began to bandage it at a ninety-degree angle.

"How do I work on it when I can't walk?" I grumbled.

"You signed the contract," he reminded me. "You train no matter what."

My mouth dropped open. "That's mean!"

Ruka jogged up the small slope towards us, a smile on his face. He was holding a piece of paper in one hand. "Here are the results," he said, holding the paper out to me.

I took it and scanned it over. My name was beside the number thirteen.

"She was disqualified?" I asked.

Ruka nodded. "She deserved it."

Natsume turned to Ruka. "Then she advances," he said. "Two months."

I looked up curiously, and slightly panicked. "What? I move onto what?"

"The next round," Ruka replied. "The twenty of you that placed will move onto the next race against twenty top runners from five other cities."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I exclaimed.

"Because you would have been under too much stress," Ruka said. "That's how Natsume and I make winners. We allow them to build confidence by winning, and after they start placing, they start to do extremely well."

My mouth formed an 'O' of understanding. My eyes fell back to the sheet, and a smile broke out across my face. "That was good, right?" I said, looking back up at them over the head of the paramedic still wrapping my ankle.

Ruka returned my smile. "It was great, for a first race. We expect better places in the other races, after we've been training for awhile."

I could barely contain my excitement. I launched myself forward, pulling away from the paramedic and wrapping my arms around Natsume's neck. I kept my foot straight as I swung my legs around his waist, squealing.

I felt him stumbled back from the force of my jump, but he didn't fall over. "You're sweaty."

I ignored the stares I could feel from the jealous girls around me. I wasn't thinking about how everyone was madly in love with the man in my arms. _I _was different. I didn't like him that way. I saw him as a successful trainer. Ruka was next.

* * *

"Natsume, give her a hand," Ruka said.

They were giving me a ride home. After a bunch of stuff after the race, and then a dinner congratulating me on my victory, courtesy of Ruka, I wasn't getting home until dark. Natsume was driving his shiny car that I remembered being on the hood of. The thought made me shudder.

Ruka was in the passenger seat. I was in the back, my legs up on the seat.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and frowned when I tried to think of how to get out of the vehicle. Natsume had gotten me in there, and out, but I didn't expect him to walk me to my door. I had crutches in the trunk.

Surprisingly, Natsume got out of the driver's seat and opened the door that my body was closest to. He slipped his arms under mine and pulled me across the leather seat. He helped me get my feet under me, and then slammed the door.

"Wait here." He went around back, popped the trunk with his keys, grabbed my bag and my crutches, and then shut the door. He handed me my crutches and then my bag. It put too much weight on one side and I tilted.

I hopped sideways to the left on one foot, my right crutch flailing. Natsume's arm shot out and steadied me. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed my bag and led the way to my excuse of a house.

I followed after him, scowling. He knocked on my door and my mom opened it. She gave Natsume a dreamy smile, and then she saw me, crutches and all.

Her eyes widened. "Mikan, sweetie, what happened?" She rushed past Natsume and to my side. "Are you okay?"

I smiled. "I placed, mom. I get to advance to the next race."

She stared at me for a minute, and then she squealed much like I had and wrapped her arms around me. "You're great," she said. "I knew you could do it." She pulled away and examined me. "But what happened?"

"Foul play," Natsume said. "The other girl was disqualified."

Aiko smiled at him. "Thank you, for everything." She looked over my shoulder and waved at the car, where Ruka saw and waved back through the window.

I hobbled past my mom and picked my bag up from the ground. "Hold this." I shoved my crutch at Natsume, giving him no chance to object. I slung the bag over my shoulder and then took the crutch back. "Training starts?"

"We'll talk about training later," Natsume told me. "Take the day off tomorrow. We'll come by on Monday and talk."

I nodded. "'Kay."

"Sleep, and drink water." He unzipped his coat pocket and shook a bottle of pills in front of my face. "Advil. Take it when you need to." He opened his other pocket and produced an envelope. "Get some food. Feed yourselves. We can't monitor you 24/7."

I took both and smiled again. "Thanks a lot, Natsume. Really."

"Whatever, Polka Dots." He smirked at the look on my face, and then turned and walked back to his car.

My mom came to stand beside me. "Such gentlemen."

I watched as the car sped off. "That's what _you _think…"

* * *

A/N: I really have no excuse for the long wait. None at all. and i feel bad. :( i'm sorry.

Look on the bright side, I COULD have waited two more weeks until i got back from BC and volleyball, but i didn't :)

Thanks for being patient. Hope you liked the chapter. I had fun writing it.

If there are any errors of any sort, it's because it's late and i want to get this chapter up since i'm leaving tomorrow and it's midnight and i don't feel like reading it over. feel free to tell me if i have any mistakes and i'll fix them!

You may have noticed that i switched to saying 'I' and 'Me' instead of 'Her' and 'She'. That's because the book i'm writing is written with 'I' and 'Me' and i kept using it here, so i just switched it. It's much easier on me. :)

Thanks for the reviews and support. Kisses and hugzz 3

xoxo  
Ducky-san


	6. Watching You

No, unfortunately I don't own Gakuen Alice. I think I'm going to have to find a more creative way to say this.

**(..**_&..__**)...**__(..__**&**__..)_

"_Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision.__**"**_

**-Muhammad Ali, American Boxer**

**(..**_&..__**)...**__(..__**&**__..)_

"No, I'm fine," I insisted. "Honestly, Ruka, I'm fine."

Ruka and I were sitting at the café my mom worked at, at a table for two, staring at each other. I was almost glaring, while he looked infuriatingly concerned. I barely noticed when the waitress came to refill my coffee cup.

"I'll talk to Natsume," he said, ignoring my protests. "We need to give you at least a week. You can't walk on it, let alone run or jump. You have plenty of time to train for the next race, and for future high jump competitions. We should look into getting you into long jump, too, but all after your ankle is better."

I glowered at him. Not once since I had met him did I have any need to get mad at him, but he was driving me absolutely _crazy. _He was underestimating my ability to adjust to the change in my body and my ability to deal with it.

After all, walking on a sprain didn't make it worse; it just hurt.

A lot.

Still, I could deal with it.

"Ruka, listen to me," I said through my teeth. "I'm absolutely fine. I'll do as much as I can on my feet. I'm not going to slack off for a little injury like this. Besides, Natsume had a hard enough time letting you give me an extra day off to recoup, I doubt he'll let you give me a _week._"

"We make decisions together. If one doesn't agree with it, we come up with a compromise."

"But I _want _to train." I didn't think I'd ever say _that_. I had nothing better to do, and it kept my mind off of the things that I preferred not to think about, like how I still hadn't told Hotaru the truth about how me and mom no longer lived the same life.

I crinkled my nose at just the thought of Natsume and Ruka paying us, rather than the other way around, like it should be. I didn't like the thought of borrowing money, but then again, it was for my mom's sake, and for my health.

My mom came shuffling to our table. She rested her hand on my shoulder and I immediately eased up, not wanted to embarrass her. "Natsume pulled up outside. He's waiting for the two of you." She smiled her charming smile and patted my head.

I took one last sip of my coffee and then stood up, keeping weight off of my injured ankle, pushing my chair back with my legs. I was taller than my mom, and I had to bend my neck to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, mom."

She led us to the door. As soon as I hobbled outside, I regretted it.

Natsume was standing outside of his fancy little car, but as much as I hated that evil thing, it wasn't what had me frozen. The big, expensive looking, new speed boat being pulled on a trailer behind the car, however, was what did.

I turned around as soon as I set eyes on it and tried to walk back into the café, but my mom pushed me back.

The traitor.

"He's your coach," she told me sternly. "Have a little faith."

Ruka walked around me and jogged up to Natsume, who pushed himself off of the side of the car to greet him. I momentarily forgot that Ruka opposed to my idea, and when I remembered, I spun around quickly.

I didn't get over to them very fast. For the most part, I hopped on my good foot. Being the stubborn teenager that I was, I refused to use crutches. I had made up my mind before I even injured myself that I would never use crutches unless it was totally necessary.

"I'm still training!" I called, interrupting Ruka in mid sentence. "You can't stop me!"

"Ruka, chill," Natsume said, not even glancing at me. "We'll keep her mostly off of her feet for awhile." He jabbed his thumb at the boat. "For now, we'll make her swim. That way she can still exercise but put less strain on her leg." He rolled his eyes when Ruka tried to object. "Hey, I would make her run if it weren't for you, so just bear with me."

"Swimming?!" I exclaimed, nearly tripping off of the curb. "You're going to make me swim? Oh, please, anything but that!"

They both turned to me, Ruka frowning and Natsume just staring at me blankly – as usual.

"Deal with it, Polka Dots," Natsume said.

I glowered at the mention of my hated nickname.

"I don't swim in ocean water," I mumbled, keeping my distance from the shiny car. "I don't want sharks to eat me."

Ruka laughed.

Natsume smirked. I wanted to punch him.

"We're not swimming here, idiot," he said. "My family owns a cabin on a lake. We'll stay there for a day, come back tomorrow." He paused, and then turned his back on me when he spoke again. "You might want to ask Imai to come."

I raised my eyebrow. "Why?"

He snickered as he climbed into the front seat of the car. "Luna's coming."

I was pretty sure the color drained from my face. Ruka looked a little worried, and I guessed that I looked like I was going to fall over, but I came around and he relaxed a little. But that was when the fury and panic kicked in.

"What?!" I shrieked. "Not a _chance! _I'm not going anywhere with that…that…" I couldn't finish my sentence. There was no word mean enough to describe the little maneater. "And definitely not an overnight trip, where she could easily slaughter me in my sleep, and-" I suddenly stopped, and then the anger came twice as hardcore as before. "I'm not going _anywhere _over night with the likes of you, Hyuuga!"

I heard Ruka's quick intake of breath. "I didn't hear any sign of him giving you a choice." And then he walked around the front of the car to the passenger side and climbed in.

Natsume rolled the window down and stuck his head out. "Get in, Polka," he ordered. "You need to pack."

Fuming, I tore the door open and hopped in, careful not to jostle my foot. I crossed my arms over my chest when my seatbelt was done up and stared at the back of Natsume's seat as if it was my mother after she told me to stop being childish. "I hate you," I muttered, mostly to myself.

"Good. That makes two of us," Natsume replied.

I began mumbling a stream of curses and profanities, but stopped myself when I remember that I was allowed to invite Hotaru. She was my last chance, and if she couldn't come, there was no way they were going to make me go with them.

I whipped out my cell phone and flipped it open. I pressed and held down the number four, which was Hotaru's speed dial number, and then put the phone to my ear anxiously.

"What do you want?" she said coldly.

I shook off her usual mean greeting and got right to the point – begging. "Please, Hotaru, you _have _to come with me. I absolutely refuse to go if you don't come."

"Go where, doofus?"

"Natsume wants me to do swim training at some lake that his family has a cabin on," I explained. "_Luna _is coming." I said the name with the most hate and anger I could muster. "I will not survive with her nagging on me because I'm spending too much time with her fiancé. Try all you want, I'm not going without you."

She was silent for a moment, and I wasn't sure if she was still there. I was about to say something when she replied. "Well, if it means behind-the-scenes photos of the famous trainers and their clumsy athlete, then I'm all for it."

I rolled my eyes, but didn't argue. As long as she was going, I wasn't going to complain. "Thanks so much, Hotaru." Leaving no room for her to change her mind, I hung up, my anger forgotten.

"Is she coming?" Ruka asked. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost say that he sounded hopeful.

"Yes," I said with a grateful sigh. "Thank God." I hadn't noticed that we had pulled up in front of my sad excuse for a house. "I don't know what to pack…and I don't have a bathing suit."

"You don't need one," Natsume said with a shrug, climbing out of the car.

"Excuse me?" I growled, opening the door.

Ruka frowned. "We'll buy you one on the way."

I slapped Natsume's muscular biceps. "Pervert. You're taken, so stop being such a freaking flirt." I would have stormed off, but that was nearly impossible. I limped, hugely, the whole way to my door, making sure they hadn't followed me before slamming it behind me.

I threw the necessities into my bag first – toothbrush, hairbrush, elastics, pads and tampons (just in case), soap, shampoo and conditioner. Clothes came next – a pair of the silk pajamas, a T-shirt and capris, a sweater, a few pairs of panties, and a thong. I noticed, to my dismay, that everything I had packed was from Hotaru.

Sighing, I stood up, slinging the new sports bag over my shoulder and walking back out of the house, sure to lock the door behind me. I hopped on one foot down the sidewalk, the toes of my injured foot barely touching the pavement. I managed to get to the car alive, after I tripped over my own foot and nearly smashed my head open on the road. Thankfully, Natsume's huge boat happened to be there, and I managed to catch myself before any serious damage could be done.

Natsume took my bag – no, he didn't ask, he took it without asking – and threw it into the open trunk, along with two other sports bags that I recognized as the ones Ruka and Natsume usually had down at the beach.

I reluctantly got back into the car.

"Where is Hotaru staying?" Ruka asked.

"That expensive, first class hotel downtown," I said. "Hey, Natsume, are you using this fancy car to lug that huge, fancy boat around? Doesn't that do, like, damage to the engine or something?"

"We're exchanging vehicles when we go to pick Luna up."

I shuddered at the name. "Why didn't you just leave it there until you picked me up?"

"I wanted to see the look on your face."

Bastard…

"How kind of you," I said sarcastically.

We stopped at the entrance to the expensive hotel I had been talking about. Ruka said that he'd fetch her, and I didn't argue. I wasn't in any mood to deal with crowded elevators. That was just asking for a concussion.

"Why is Luna coming?" I asked when Ruka had left.

"Because I want her to."

I snorted. "Never thought I'd hear you say that." I leaned back against the seat and looked around this devil of a car. My eyes caught a small, square box attached to the rearview mirror. "What's that?" I pointed at it.

"A camera."

"Why is there a camera in your car?"

"My dad thought it would be a good idea to listen and watch everything I do in this car."

I nodded slowly, my eyes narrowed as I stared at the camera. "So someone's listening?" I didn't wait for an answer. "Will someone tell Luna if I start cussing and swearing and calling her bad names?"

"Probably."

I thought about it for a moment, but I didn't get a chance to say anything before the front door was opening, as well as the back door opposite to me, and Hotaru and Ruka were climbing in.

I grinned at my best friend, and she barely glanced at me. I was used to it, and I leapt at her anyway, pulling against the seatbelt.

"Get off of me," she warned.

I pulled away and ruffled her hair. "You're so mean."

We sped off. Natsume rolled his window down, and I got the full force of the wind on my face. My hair whipped around me, and I couldn't keep it tame. After about ten minutes, I gave up and sat back.

Barely ten minutes later, the car was pulling to a stop in front of a castle…no, wait, it was a house that _looked _like a castle.

It was nothing less than what I expected from the Hyuuga family, but it was hard to believe that it was all of this for just two people. Its bright red bricks towered over us, and I found myself wondering how badly it would hurt if the house were to collapse. The shingled roof was pointed at the highest points of the house, and slanted at the lower places. The doorway, a beautiful white arch with vines weaving through the panels and a dark mahogany door highlighted the red bricks and added color to the magnificent façade. The countless windows, bordered by white, were mostly big, and three sets of doors on the top floor looked to be made of glass, doors that led onto patios.

I cringed into my seat.

The front of the house was home to a huge garage, a garage with four doors. The driveway was large enough for a semi to fit in, both vertically and horizontally. Natsume pulled sideways across the gravel, parallel to the castle. The boat ended up just off the far edge of the garage.

I swallowed.

"Everybody out," Ruka said, opening his door.

I hesitantly opened my own door and hobbled out. I slammed the door behind me, keeping my eyes off of the house. I looked everywhere else – the trees, the road, the boat – just not at the house.

I thought it was unfair how some people could have so much money, while others are living off of minimum wage, fighting for their lives. It seemed sort of off balance, and I didn't want to be reminded of what I didn't have.

Hotaru dragged me away from the car while Natsume and Ruka unhooked the trailer. Natsume threw our stuff out, earning a glare from Hotaru, and then he opened the far garage door and drove the car in. He returned with a massive pickup truck.

It looked brand new, in perfect shape, and it looked like it would crush anything that got in its way. It was black, with no fancy designs. I could tell that there was a front seat a backseat. I didn't think I would have to worry about Luna sitting in the back. She would probably sit between Ruka and Natsume.

"Can I ride in the back?" I called.

"Where else would you be riding?" Ruka asked.

"No, I mean the back back."

He rolled his eyes. "No, Mikan. You're riding inside the truck."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "But-"

"No buts," he interrupted, waving for Natsume, who was in the truck, to back up. "Luna isn't going to bite."

"Ha," I scoffed. "I bet she will."

They got the trailer hooked up and Ruka threw our bags in the back. I struggled to climb in after them, thinking they looked awfully comfy, but Natsume grabbed my legs and pulled me back, letting me drop to the ground.

"Ow!" I flopped down on he ground beside the back wheel of the truck, glaring up at Natsume, massaging my ankle. "Thanks for that."

He just smirked and turned to walk into the house. I made a face, panicked, and dove into the backseat after Hotaru. I pulled my seatbelt across my chest, hoping that it might be enough to prevent Luna from throwing me out the window.

Ruka got in the passenger seat, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket. I couldn't tell what he was doing, maybe sending a text message. "Natsume already talked to your mom about this trip, so she knows where you'll be. You can call her any time from the cabin phone."

I nodded.

The front door of the house opened and Luna – the devil's daughter, I swear – walked out, followed by Natsume. I forced myself to hold my chin high, swearing that I wouldn't give Luna what she wanted.

Natsume opened the door for her, and she climbed across the seat and sat beside Ruka. Natsume got in after her, slamming the door behind her.

I could have called her a slut, since she was wearing nothing but a tube top, a white mini skirt, and a pair of high-heeled silver sandals, but I bit my tongue, knowing that she would be more than happy to have a fight with me.

"Hey, Ruka," she said sweetly.

I held back my sigh of relief when she didn't turn around to even look at Hotaru and I.

Natsume backed carefully out of the driveway, turned onto the street, rolled down his window (I think he was doing it to annoy me), and turned the music up.

Luna clung to his arm as he drove, and he didn't make any move to shake her off. His face remained blank, unreadable, so I just sat back and stared out the window, ignoring my untamed hair.

The drive wasn't particularly long. After an hour I started to see sparkling blue water that didn't belong to the ocean. An hour and half after we had left, Natsume pulled in front of a big house.

This one wasn't nearly as big as the castle, but it was just as nice. This definitely wasn't my idea of a cabin.

Natsume and Ruka got out, and Luna crawled out Natsume's door.

I sighed and got out, landing carefully on my good foot. Too bad my ankle didn't matter much to Luna. She pushed me over inconspicuously as she passed, and I ended up on the rocky ground on my back.

Natsume raised his eyebrow. He hadn't seen it.

"I fell," I muttered, pushing myself to my feet.

Ruka got our bags and started towards the door. "This way, ladies. I'll show you to your rooms."

I stayed put, staring stubbornly at the 'cabin'. "Do you have a tent, by any chance?"

Ruka smiled. "Mikan, just come with me."

Hotaru grabbed my hand and tugged me forward, half supporting my weight. She walked, I hobbled, through the front door and stopped dead.

Stupid, rich people…

The interior was exquisite, yet simple.

Straight ahead was a staircase leading upstairs. To the left was a living area, with two leather couches, a leather chair, and a big flat screen TV. There was a uniquely designed coffee table standing in the middle of the room, with a vase of assorted flowers sitting on top. Through the big window, the lake was visible, just down a slope.

Ruka started up the stairs.

Upstairs, there was a long hallway. Three doors were on each side, and there was a closet at the very end.

Ruka opened the doors at the end of the hallway, across from each other, and motioned for me and Hotaru to enter. I went into the one on the left, she went into the one on the left.

My mouth dropped open.

It was _huge. _Right beside the door was a big, oak dresser. Straight across from me, under a big window lined by gorgeous, burgundy curtains, was a queen sized bed with a bedspread similar to the color of the curtains. To the left of the bed another space, and when I hopped over to it, I discovered a desk with a computer on top. I hopped back out to the door to thank Ruka, but he was already headed down the stairs.

I put my bag down beside the bed and sat down on the edge of it. I'd decided that I would show no special feeling towards this room, and that I would act as if it were just another house.

I crawled across the bed and pulled myself up to look out the window. Natsume was backing the boat down into the water. Luna was watching, Ruka was spotting.

I smiled victoriously when I realized that we hadn't stopped to get a bathing suit for me.

And then Hotaru came into my room, ruining it all. She tossed a bundle of silky fabric at me. "Here," she said. "You're borrowing this."

I unrolled the bundle and scowled at the red two piece bathing suit with white polka dots. How ironic…

"Why couldn't you bring a one piece?" I grumbled.

"Because I don't wear one pieces." She rolled her eyes. "Just put it on." Then she walked back out, closing the door behind her.

I stared at the bathing suit. It didn't seem like something Hotaru would wear. She wasn't quite that…out there. She was more of a serene kind of person. I'd imagined she'd be wearing a dark color bathing suit of some sort.

Sighing, I wiggled out of my clothes and into the bathing suit, falling down only once. I stuffed the clothes into my bag and then hopped to the door. I pulled it open and hopped down the hallway, pausing at the top of the stairs. I gripped the railing so hard that my knuckles turned white, and then I sat down and dragged myself down, stair by stair.

Who was I kidding? There was no way I could run on this.

I hopped through the massive kitchen, not bothering to look around, and through the back door, across the porch, carefully down the stairs, and then collapsed on the grass, watching Natsume hop out of the truck and into the boat, backing it into the water.

Ruka got into the truck and drove it forward, leaving the boat by the long, rickety dock. Natsume jumped out, bringing a rope with him, and tied it around the metal thing on the edge of the wood.

And then the three of them were walking up the slope, Ruka leaving the truck where it was. Luna scowled at me as she passed, and then swung around to face Natsume, snatching his arm up.

"Natsume, darling!" she said dramatically. "Where will you and I be sleeping?"

Natsume looked down at me with no expression whatsoever on his face and jabbed his thumb towards the boat. "Get on, polka dots. We'll be out in a minute."

I grumbled something unintelligible to even my own ears and pushed myself up. I hopped down the hill, stumbling on the unsteady surface of the dock. I tripped over the edge of the boat and did a face plant into the leather seat.

Groaning, I pulled myself the rest of the way into the boat, squeaking when my ankle dropped heavily to the seat. Then, I peered uneasily over the side of the boat, sitting up. My stomach did an uneasy flip, and I sat back, closing my eyes.

Water…_Greeaatt…_

I waited only ten minutes, staring at the pale blue sky, before I heard voices and looked up.

Hotaru was in a dark blue bikini, something that suited her, like I'd thought. Ruka was wearing a pair of beige shorts and a white T-shirt. Natsume, however, was wearing white swim trunks with intricate designs on the side, and no shirt.

I looked away, forcing my mouth to stay closed.

Hotaru jumped in and sat down beside me. Ruka and Natsume got in at the front of the boat. I couldn't help but glance up at Natsume's perfectly toned body. I probably would have started drooling if my mouth had been open.

I noticed then, that no one had any life jackets, and I felt a spasm of panic. "No life jackets?"

"No," Natsume said dryly. "You won't need one." He sat down in the passenger seat, motioning for Ruka to sit behind the wheel. "You drive."

Ruka shrugged and pulled off his shirt, tossing it to the front of the boat. He was just the same as Natsume, and I once again had to force my eyes to look somewhere else.

Ruka backed away from the dock as Natsume rifled through one of the compartments.

"No Luna?" I asked hopefully.

"Nope," Ruka replied. "She's settling in."

I raised my eyebrow, momentarily forgetting my panic. "But she hates me! She'd honestly do anything to make my life living hell. She's not even coming to push me in, hold me under, drown me?"

Natsume rolled his eyes. "You're stupid."

I stuck my tongue out at him, and then my eyes caught the metal contraption in his hand. "What's that?"

He grabbed my leg and pulled it up in a very unnatural way. I yelped and tried to pull away, but he had an iron grip on my calf. "Ankle brace," he answered, pulling it over my foot and getting to work on the countless buckles.

I sunk into the seat, trying to make holding my leg up less painful. It didn't work. "That hurts," I complained.

"Suck it up."

The boat jerked and Natsume stumbled back, pulling on my foot. I growled to refrain from screaming, and he just smirked. He clipped the last buckle and then dropped my foot, and unsuspecting me squeaked when it hit the ground.

Hotaru rolled her eyes.

"Where to, Natsume?" Ruka asked over his shoulder.

Natsume looked around, and then sat back down in the chair he had been sitting in before. "Stop somewhere in the middle."

I groaned. "I'm going to die."

Ruka cut the engine and I looked up. There were boats here and there, speeding around, some dragging skiers, others tubers. What if one of them hit me while I was drowning?

"Mikan, you look a little pale," Ruka said, frowning as he stood up.

"I'm fine," I managed, standing up on one foot and looking over the side of the boat. "I mean, it can't be that hard." I turned to face them, trying not to break out into a sweat. "What exactly are we doing way out here?"

"You're treading water," Natsume said, walking past me and kneeling on the seats at the back of the boat. He leaned over and unlatched the ladder and then stepped back, casting me one of his scary looks. "What are you waiting for? Jump in."

I looked out the back of boat. "Sure…"

"What's wrong?" Ruka asked.

"She can't swim," Hotaru said calmly.

Ruka raised his eyebrow. "Why didn't you tell us?"

I laughed nervously. "Didn't want to ruin your fun."

Natsume rolled his eyes. Before I could totally wrap my mind around the situation, he had me tucked under his arm and was jumping into the water, taking me with him. I tried to scream, but was muffled by the water. I swallowed some, and when Natsume brought me to the top, I was coughing between frantic screams.

"Polka dots, shut up." He was holding my waist. I could feel his legs kicking the water. "You're going to make me go deaf."

My hands fell to his shoulders, but I didn't stop with my pathetic half-screams. "I'm going to drown!"

"Shut up," he repeated. "Breathe."

I stared at him, and fell silent. His smoldering eyes willed me to silence, and forced me to listen to him. I took one deep, shaky breath, my eyes not leaving his, released it, and then took another.

"Okay," I whispered. "I'm calm."

"Kick your legs in circles," he told me. "Big circles."

I did as I was told, my gaze still glued to his.

"Move your arms in circles parallel to the water," he went on. "Slowly."

I moved as best as I could with him so close. "What if we get hit by a boat?" I asked, trying to keep my mind off of drowning. "I don't want to get decapitated by a propeller."

"No one is going to get close enough to our boat to hit us."

"Right," I said.

"Now, I'm going to let go of you," he said slowly. "Keep-"

"No!" I squealed, my hands flying back to his shoulders. "Don't leave me!" I tried ignoring the faded pain in my ankle. The ankle brace minimized it, but only as much as it could.

"Mikan," Ruka said from behind me, "he's right there. He's not going to let you drown."

I was already breathing heavily. "Yes he will!" I called back. "He's a big meany!"

And then he was gone, his hands sliding away from my waist, pulling away from my grip on his shoulders. In my panic, I kicked my legs and swung my arms harder, and found myself floating on top of the water.

I groaned. "This is exhausting."

"Don't kick so hard," Natsume said. He was treading water a few arm lengths away from me, looking as he always did.

I followed the instruction and, though my limbs weren't moving as fast, I was still floating above the water.

The only problem was that I wasn't as strong as he was. I may be able to run and jump without getting tired easily, but this was nothing that I'd experienced before, and my energy was quickly draining away.

"I'm tired!" I wailed.

"Too bad."

"Natsume…" I guess I could try to swim over to the boat, but I wasn't sure how successful I would be, so I continued to tread water.

I remember I had been able to swim when I was younger, but I'd had a traumatic accident at the age of four, when I had nearly drowned, and I had given up on swimming and taken up sprinting when I reached junior high.

I heard a splash and looked over to see Hotaru's feet disappear under the water. She reappeared a second later, wiped the water from her eyes, and then disappeared beneath again.

And then I felt something grab my ankle and tug, and I screamed, all movements stopping. For a moment, I thought I was drowning, and then I started kicking my legs again and I sweeping my arms, and I managed to fight my way back to the surface.

Hotaru was snickering.

I shot her a glare. "That was mean."

She shrugged and swam back to the boat, pulling herself out of the water. When she was safe inside the boat, she pushed Ruka, who was standing on the back, into the water, just inches from where I was treading.

I heard the buzz of another engine and looked up, only to see a boat roaring up to us.

Shocked, I stopped moving, and I fell beneath the surface. I felt a hand on my arm, and I heard the engine from the other boat stop, and I wondered who it had hit. Before I could take a breath, I was jerked to the surface.

Dazed, I looked around.

Ruka was the one holding my arm, and he was grinning at the other boat. I could hear Natsume's boring drawl, and a voice I didn't recognize. I didn't, however, hear Hotaru.

I spun around and a wave of relief washed over me when I saw her sitting on the back of the boat, her legs dangling in the water, looking at the other boat with a raised eyebrow.

I followed her gaze.

The other boat was smaller than Natsume's massive one, but not by much. There were four guys, all with their shirts off, on it. Two of them were soaking wet, and the other two looked dry.

They were good looking, but not anywhere near comparable to Natsume and Ruka.

All four of them were leaning over the side of the boat, talking to Natsume with huge grins on their faces.

"Hey, Natsume, how do you like the freedom?" one of them asked. "No reporters here…"

"It's not like you see him much in the papers anyway," another guy said. "He has his ways of being inconspicuous. Hey, I heard your girl hurt her foot. How's she coming along?"

I frowned. I was not _his girl._

Natsume jabbed his thumb at me. "Why don't you ask her?"

They all looked up, and my face instantly heated up. I pulled away from Ruka and managed to paddle over to the boat. Hotaru helped me out and I rolled behind the seat, out of sight.

"Is she shy?"

"You could say so," Ruka said.

"Ruka!" And the conversations started all over again. I thought maybe, hopefully, we were forgotten, but then one of the guys on the other boat brought up the subject of girls. Just my luck…

"Where's Luna, man?"

"At the cabin," Natsume said.

Laughter. "What? She let you out here with those two sexy ladies? Or are you with your athlete now?"

My mouth dropped open and I pulled myself up. I stepped onto the back of the boat and glared at them. "We _hate _each other!" I declared. "The only reason I put up with him is because he's my coach, and the only reason he puts up with _me _is because I'm his athlete, and I'm supposed to make him rich. And please, don't call me-"

A wave crashed into our boat, rocking it. I stumbled, my bad foot hit the ground, and, on reflex, I lifted it, at the exact wrong time. With a shriek, I toppled into the water.

The cold liquid closed around my body, and I panicked for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. But, once again, my fear drove me into kicking my legs, and I took a grateful breath of air.

"Try not to be so clumsy," Natsume said.

More laughter.

I scowled at him. "Brute."

"Mikan, Hotaru," Ruka said, "these are our friends, fellow coaches, actually."

"Great," I mumbled. "More obnoxious rich people."

"Polka dots, get in the boat," Natsume said, swimming over to me. "We're leaving."

Ruka waved to the people on the other boat. "See you later, guys!"

"Try not to make Luna too mad!" And then they were speeding off.

I reached for the ladder and pulled myself up, hopping on the rungs on one foot. I slid across the leather and onto the seat, my head landing in Hotaru's lap. I sat up and spun around, putting my feet on the ground.

"That was scary."

Ruka laughed.

Natsume rolled his eyes.

We sped back to the cabin at full speed. The whole time, I had my arms wrapped around myself, shivering. My teeth chattered and I had goose bumps the size of mosquito bites.

When we pulled up to the dock, Ruka hopped off and tied it up. I could see Luna sitting out on the porch on a deck lounger, sipping something from a margarita glass. I guessed it was a margarita.

She sat up upon our arrival, but I wasn't paying much attention to her. I stuck my leg up in front of Natsume before he could get off the boat. "Can you take this off, please?" I chattered.

"No. Keep it on."

"I'll put it on when it's dry. It's itchy."

He grabbed my leg and pushed it up, just to cause me pain, and then he started unbuckling the buckles. When it was off, he tossed it at me, and it landed in my lap. He was gone before I could thank him.

I watched as Luna sprang to her feet, swinging her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, and I felt my stomach churn. Shaking it off, I stepped out of the boat, hauling the metal contraption with me.

Whatever happened to not liking her one bit?

I shrugged to myself. Things change.

Hotaru got out after me. "Jealous?"

"No!" I exclaimed. "Where did you get that from?"

"You're looking at them like you're jealous."

I shook my head, hopping across the deck. "Just confused. He said awhile back that he didn't like her and that the wedding was against his will. I'm wondering what the change of heart is." When we got to the slope, Hotaru helped me. "Thanks."

"Maybe he doesn't have a choice." Then, like the best friend she was, she dropped my arm when we were halfway up the hill and continued the rest of the way on her own, leaving me to crawl alone.

**(..**_&..__**)...**__(..__**&**__..)_

It was seven o'clock in the evening. I'd been lying on my stomach on my bed for what seemed like ages, my face buried in my pillow. I had spells like these every once and awhile, when I would think about my dad and how much I missed him.

I'd been in my room since we got back, which had been at four o'clock. I'd closed myself off for three hours, thinking, thinking, and thinking. I'd locked the door, and when people knocked, I'd grumbled something like I was sleeping.

As I had thought, I had noticed something in the corners of the room.

Cameras.

I'd nearly choked. Who was watching me in my room, or was there anyone? Had they seen me changing? Would they watch me sleeping?

"Mikan!" Ruka knocked on my door. "Mikan, supper!"

"I'm not hungry!" I called.

I heard him sigh. "Mikan, you have a diet that you need to follow."

"Can't I eat later?"

"No. Come on. I've been slaving in the kitchen for hours."

I groaned and rolled off of the bed, landing on my foot and hopping over to the door. I had put the brace back on already.

I unlocked the door and pulled it open. Ruka smiled in satisfaction and started down the stairs. I followed, though I went much more cautiously than he did. I stayed on my feet, too lazy to use my former tactics. I got to the kitchen alive and on two feet.

The only empty chair was between Hotaru and Luna.

Fantastic.

I took a seat, meeting no one's gaze, and slouched against the back of my chair. All that thinking and crying and more thinking had left me drained. The swimming hadn't helped, either.

"You look crappy," Hotaru commented.

"Thanks," I replied.

"Natsume, you'd never guess what your mom is doing for our wedding," Luna bubbled. "She's going to arrange for us to wed on a cruise! Isn't that great? It's going to be beautiful."

I tuned her out and stared at my empty plate.

"Mikan, eat something," Ruka said, leaning across Hotaru to be heard over Luna.

I sighed and reached for the wooden spoon stuck in the mashed potatoes. Luna snatched it first, sneering at me, but I didn't pay any attention to her. Instead, I sat back and waited.

She grabbed the spoon, heaped with mashed potatoes, but didn't put them on her plate. She held the spoon in midair while she continued ranting to Natsume who didn't look very interested. She began flailing her arms dramatically, and that only led to one thing.

The potatoes flew from the spoon and hit me in the face.

I sighed and dragged my hand over my eyes, wiping as much potato as possible off and whipping it on my plate.

"Oh, I'm _so _sorry." Her apology was dripping with sarcasm. I could see her triumphant grin.

I stood up. "I'm going to have a shower," I announced, picking up the bowl of gravy. "I'll clean up later." And then I dumped the creamy liquid all over her long, sun kissed hair.

I saw Ruka choke on his food, Hotaru cover her mouth to hide her smile, and Natsume raise his eyebrow. Luna was definitely stunned.

I got the heck out of there – as fast as I could – before she had a chance to snap my neck.

**(..**_&..__**)...**__(..__**&**__..)_

"Hey, polka dots." Natsume pounded impatiently on my door. "Water. Now."

"What?" I hopped over to the door and ripped it open, glaring at him. "I have to swim again? But I want to sleep! Shouldn't you want to sleep, too?" I crossed my arms over my chest. "_Luna _is probably waiting for you in bed."

He scanned me from head to toe, and I suddenly froze.

I was only wrapped in a towel.

Yelping, I swung the door in front of me and poked my head out. "Besides," I continued through clenched teeth. "I just had a shower."

"Too bad," he said. "You're swimming."

"Can't I swim tomorrow? My body can only take so much panic in a day." I yawned to prove my point. "Can't you cut me some slack? I need to recoup."

Before he could reply, a piercing shriek came from downstairs. "Natsume!" Luna called. "There's a bee in here!"

He rolled his eyes and was taking a step to the stairs when I stopped him.

"Hey, wait," I said. "Can I break the cameras in the room?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because they're there for a reason."

"So perverts like you can watch me change?"

"My dad will be watching those tapes." He smirked at the look of horror that danced across my face, and then turned and strolled to the stairs.

I closed the door and eyed the cameras warily. Sighing, I grabbed my clothes from the pile on the bed and slipped into the hallway and into the bathroom. Satisfied that there didn't seem to be any unwanted eyes here, I changed into my silky pajamas, ran a brush through my hair, and brushed my teeth.

"Ugh, that girl is unbelievable." Luna was in the hallway. "Natsume, why didn't you hurt her when she did that?"

"She's my athlete." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yes, but I'm your fiancée."

I didn't hear his reply. They'd gone into their room.

Shrugging, I hobbled back to my room and closed the door behind me. Sighing, I hopped over to the bed and jumped onto it, landing with my arms and legs outstretched. I buried my face in the pillow, then flipped over and stuffed my feet under the fresh blankets.

Then, I flicked the bedside lamp off and closed my eyes. I plugged my ears, knowing that it was odd that Luna and Natsume should be going to bed before nine o'clock. Their room was next door.

"Natsume, come to bed," I could hear Luna purring, even through my plugged ears.

"I don't go to bed until midnight," was his reply.

"But Natsume…" Luna whined. "We haven't done anything since we were engaged."

I picked up my pillow and slammed it over my head. That didn't work either.

"I have things to do."

"Can't it wait?"

"No."

Ohhhh…shut down!

"Don't you want your dad to know you love me?"

"I would prefer not to have my dad watch me having sex."

I chuckled.

I heard Luna's feet on the ground, and then a whisper, but I couldn't make out the words. I listened to the silence, and then smiled in satisfaction and rolled onto my side. To my dismay, the talking started again.

"Natsume, what's the matter? You kiss much better than that."

I scowled and threw one of the pillows against the wall. "Can you two _shut up_?" I yelled. "I'm trying to sleep!"

"Good for you!" Luna shouted back.

"Ugh!" I got up and dragged my pillow back to the bed. This time I piled three of the four pillows on top of my head, and it _still _didn't block out the sound. Either the walls were paper thin, or they were talking really loud.

"Luna, later."

She giggled. "Fine with me."

I heard a door open then close, and I sighed in relief.

And then I heard another door opening, and it took a moment to realize that it was mine. I groaned and sat up, glaring at the intruder. Apparently, I had forgotten to lock my door.

"On your feet," Natsume ordered.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Did you not hear me? I'm trying to sleep."

"You made a deal with Ruka. Every night, soak your foot."

"Oh, right." I threw the covers back and stood up. "I can do it on my own. Thanks for reminding me."

He didn't respond, but turned and stalked back out the door.

**(..**_&..__**)...**__(..__**&**__..)_

I sat up with a start, my heart pounding in my chest, cold sweat on the back of my neck. My hand traveled up to cover my heart, and I focused on taking deep breaths to calm it down.

I'd been dreaming. Of drowning. Big surprise there.

Panting, I got out of bed and headed for my door. I unlocked it and took a step out, only to squeak in surprise when someone's strong arms caught me and locked me against them. I was pushed back into my room, the door was shut and locked behind me and this person, and I was trapped.

Just as I was mustering up a breath to scream, the person's lips crashed down on mine, and I recognized the feel of the lips as the ones belonging to my cocky coach.

Like before, I melted into him, and couldn't help but kiss back.

He pulled away to take a breath.

"What the hell are you doing?" I whispered.

"What does it look like?" His lips met mine again in another passionate kiss. When he pulled away, the look on his face scared me.

I scowled at him. "Stop it." But I didn't make any attempt to pull away. "You're supposed to be in bed with Luna." I snuck a glance at the clock on my bedside table. It was only ten o'clock. I'd only been sleeping for an hour. "Aren't you supposed to be doing something that I would rather not say with her?"

"In her dreams." His lips captured mine again, and he backed me up.

This time, I pulled away. "Hyuuga, what are you talking about? You said that you _wanted _her to come here."

He didn't answer, but instead kissed me again. One of his hands traveled up my back until it was on the back of my neck, making escaping nearly impossible. "Not bad, polka dots," he said breathlessly.

"Stop kissing me!" I whispered.

"I'll stop kissing you when you stop talking." Another kiss.

"Natsume?" Luna's voice was coming from the room beside the one we were in. "Natsume, come to bed!"

He pulled away, releasing me. "Can't resist me, huh?" Then he disappeared.

UGH! The nerve of that guy!

**(..**_&..__**)...**__(..__**&**__..)_

I woke up to loud voices downstairs. Sleepily, without glancing at the clock, I pulled myself out of the bed and limped to the door. I hopped on tired legs to the stairs, trying to pick out the voices.

"What are you doing here?" Natsume was saying.

I hopped down the stairs, stopping when I could see who was talking. The other man, facing Natsume, his back to the door, was holding something square in his hand.

"I came to ask you about this." He held the object up, and my heart stopped.

It was a tape.

What had this man, Natsume's father, seen last night?

**(..**_&..__**)...**__(..__**&**__..)_

A/N: That was longer than I intended it to be. It just kept going and going, and I could break it off mid chapter! So I'm sorry if it's too long. Tell me if it is and I'll try not to type so much. But, hey! I did this chapter in less than two days! Woo!

Thanks for all the reviews and support! I'm glad you all enjoy my writing!

Tell me if there are any mistakes, and I'll correct them!

By the way, if i don't reply to reviews or PMs, it's because I just updated my email program and now it's all screwy. I'll try to reply to as many as possible when i get it fixed :)

xoxo

Ducky-san


	7. Liar

**…****...--...&…****...--...**

_**Hey, guess what? I own Gakuen Alice!**_

…

…

…

_**Okay, maybe I don't. I don't own a single thing. Except the plot. That's all me.**_

_**Did I fool you?**_

**…****...--...&…****...--...**

_-Sports don't B-U-I-L-D character-_

_-They R.E.V.E.A.L it-_

**-Haywood Hale Broun**

**…****...--...&…****...--...**

I was still unnoticed. Even Natsume's dad, who stood with his back to the door, facing me, hadn't seen me. He was too focused on his son, as well as the tape in his hand. The expression on his face was a combination between various different emotions, including anger, disappointment, and disapproval.

I didn't dare move. What would Natsume say? Would he defend me? Or merely say it was all my fault? After all, he had accused _me _of not being able to resist. Where was the fairness in that? I, personally, saw none. If anyone couldn't control their sexual urges, it was him.

"What about it?" Natsume asked stiffly.

His dad narrowed his eyes slightly. He reminded me, for a split second, of a cat. "You are engaged to Luna," he said matter-of-factly. "You are getting married to her very soon. You were very aware of the multiple cameras set up around the house, as well as the increased amount in your little troublemaker's room."

Since when was _I _the troublemaker?

"And yet you still had the nerve to go into her room in the middle of the night and kiss her." He slammed the tape down on the ground. "Oh, no, not just a little peck on the lips. You _made out_ with her."

Man, that was embarrassing. Your dad watching you make out with someone you don't even like. I found that slightly disturbing, actually, and I'm sure other people would, too, if they were to be asked. I would definitely _not _want my dad watching me with a boy.

Well, I could hardly consider Natsume a boy. He was more of a sardonic playboy asshole that only found pleasure in making out with people and then tearing them down.

"Do you care to explain yourself?" his dad went on. "You better have a pretty damn good explanation for that, son. While you're at it, you might as well tell me why you blocked off the cameras in _your _room."

"I was warming up."

Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

"Excuse me?" His dad raised his eyebrow, his anger momentarily forgotten.

Natsume shrugged. "I was warming up," he repeated. "Luna wanted to have sex. She'd just said earlier that she knew I could kiss better than what I had been doing, so I decided to warm up for her." He paused. "And honestly, I would prefer not having my dad watch me in bed with my fiancé."

I scowled and spun on my heel, marching silently back up the stairs. That certainly made me feel great. I was his athlete as well as his test subject. How shallow… I was going to have to teach him a little bit of a lesson.

Luna came out of her room when I was on the very top stair. She came out with such urgency that she didn't see me. As if anything would have changed if she _had _seen me. For all she cared, I could go sky diving and she'd rig my parachute and I'd end up creating a crater in the ground when I landed.

She bumped into me.

Even though it was my good leg that went flying in the air and my bad foot that kept me standing, I didn't fall. The pain was close to unbearable, but if I let it get the better of me, my landing at the bottom of the stairs could be fatal.

Luna screamed as she continued forward, losing her balance. She continued to push me backwards, and both my legs flew out from underneath me. I screamed, too, though my reason was much more significant. My knees gave out and my arms reached out for something to grab. They found Luna, but I decided against pulling her down with me and went solo.

My tailbone made contact with the edge of one of the stairs. My hands searched for the stair below it, found it, supported my weight so that I didn't snap my neck, and then I continued falling. My legs flipped over my head and I used my arms to push my body up. My feet landed on the edge of the last stair and I fell the last little distance, falling flat on my back.

Luna was at the top of the stairs, one hand on the railing, leaning forward slightly, looking off balance. If she were to let go of the railing, she'd probably end up in the same position I was in. Her free hand covered her mouth and her eyes were as wide as saucers. I assumed she was scared out of her socks because she'd just about broken a nail.

Groaning, I sat up. I looked around, dazed, just as Ruka and Hotaru came from their rooms and rushed down the hallway. Ruka saw me first, pushed past Luna, and was there to help me up within seconds.

"What happened?" he asked, mostly panicked.

I rubbed the back of my head with my hand, closing my eyes. I was going to get a headache. "Just an accident," I assured him. "Nothing to worry about. I've had worse." My eyes still closed, I felt my way up the stairs, careful to keep weight off of my sprained ankle.

"Ruka!" I heard Natsume's dad exclaim.

I brushed past Luna and Hotaru, but Hotaru grabbed my arm. "What are you doing?"

"Going to bed," I lied, pulling away.

"It's ten o'clock."

"My head hurts." Then I disappeared into my room, closing and locking the door behind me. I took a deep, calming breath, walked over to the bed, and collapsed on top of the messy blankets. Sleep was the last thing on my mind.

Getting up, I limped over to the desk. I pulled a felt marker and a piece of blank paper out of the drawer and grinned, almost evilly, as I scrawled the words on the page. _YOU SICK, PERVERTED BASTARD!_

Satisfied, I picked the sheet up and limped back into the main room. I looked around for the aim of one of the cameras, and, finding one focused on the bed, I neatly made the sheets and then placed the paper on top. I smiled at the camera, waved enthusiastically, and then got to work packing my stuff and getting ready to go.

I got dressed in the bright yellow T-shirt, wondering how many bees would think I was a flower, and the pair of jeans I had brought, slipping my unwanted cell phone into my pocket, for emergencies. I ran a brush through my long, straight hair and then tied it up in a high ponytail. I went to the bathroom silently to brush my teeth, making sure there was no one in the hallway or in sight, and then I packed everything into my bag.

I clapped my hands together, looked around the room for anything I might have forgotten, and then I limped to the door.

Now that I knew it was possible – though very painful – to stand on my injured foot, I wasn't as afraid to walk on it a little bit. I could tell already that it was going to be a little tender that night.

Natsume and his dad were still in the entry, now joined by Luna, who was hanging off of Natsume's arm. I glared at her back, and then at Natsume's. Oh, I was going to teach him, alright.

His dad looked up as I came down the stairs. He smiled, but I could tell it was forced. "You must be Mikan," he said, stepping past his son and Luna and sticking his hand out to me. "I'm Naoki, Natsume's dad."

I narrowed my eyes, but I wasn't sure if he noticed. I took his hand and shook it. "Pleased to meet you," I said coldly. If he heard the bitter tone in my voice, he chose to ignore it.

"I wish you luck in your upcoming races."

"Thank you," I said, withdrawing my hand. I didn't even so much as glance at Natsume or Luna as I strode by them, slipping my feet into my flip flops. I didn't look back even once as I opened the door and stepped out into the warm morning.

"Where are you going?" Natsume didn't sound the least bit concerned.

"For a walk." I closed the door behind me and hopped down the stairs on one foot. This was probably one of the stupidest and most hopeless things I'd ever done. If they came looking for me, they'd probably find me in a ditch, dead.

Oh well.

I yawned as I limped stiffly down the driveway. I thought about doing something very bad to the shiny truck that I had ridden down in, or to the silver convertible that could only belong to Naoki. I decided not to, and kept limping down the rocky drive, my bag slung over my shoulder.

Stupid Natsume…

Stupid cabin…

Stupid lake…

Stupid boat…

Stupid Natsume…

Did I say that already?

I looked both ways just for the heck of it before stepping out onto the shoulder of the road. It was fairly easy to walk on. It had been repaved recently, judging by the dark color of the asphalt, so it was smooth.

I tossed my head back and crossed my arms over my chest. I probably looked stuck up, but I couldn't help it. My pride was gone, and this was the best I could do to hold onto it before it got caught in the breeze.

As I walked, the heat increased. I was surprised no one had come to drag my sorry carcass back to the cabin yet, and yet happy that it was so. Maybe this would actually work. Unfortunately, I hadn't thought as far as sunscreen, water, or food. I found myself craving a popsicle.

I got to the main highway and started walking along the shoulder, headed back the way we had come. My back and head ached from my fall down the stairs, and my leg was starting to get tired from having to support all of my weight with it.

One or twice someone whistled at me when they drove by, and I completely ignored them.

I felt my cell phone vibrating an hour into my walk and pulled it out of my pocket in frustration. I had one new message. As soon as I opened it, I got another one. Scowling, I read them both. One was from Hotaru, the other one from Natsume.

Hotaru: What are you doing, doofus?

Natsume: Get your ass back here.

I would have told Hotaru where I was, but the little traitor would probably tell Natsume. That idea didn't sound appealing. If he did end up finding me, the consequences were probably going to be severe. But I wasn't scared of him.

I was just putting the phone back into my pocket when it started ringing. Even over the loud noise of the cars on the highway, it still scared me. I chose to ignore it and left it in my pocket.

It stopped ringing. Not a minute later, it started again.

Gritting my teeth, I pulled it back out and glared at the caller ID. When I saw Natsume's name, I wound up my arm and threw it as hard as I could on the ground in front of me. It didn't break, but skidded on the road and into the path of a car. The tires rolled over it, and when the car disappeared, the phone was nothing but a pile of shiny parts.

I continued walking. Only ten minutes later, I heard a car slow down and pull up behind me. The tires kept rolling, and I kept walking, paying it no attention. Then the engine was cut, I heard a door open and close, and feet running up to me.

"What are you doing?"

I was entirely blown away when it was Naoki's voice I heard rather than Natsume's or Ruka's. I spun around, nearly losing my balance and falling in front of a car as it blew by me. "Walking," I answered coolly.

He raised his eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be relaxing your foot?"

"No," I shot back. "My foot is fine."

"You don't like me, do you?"

"I guess you could say that." Despise would be a better description.

"May I ask why?"

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, I wonder." I turned my back on him and kept walking.

"I was just headed out and Natsume told me to look for you on the way. I'll give him a call."

I waved him off. "Sure." The strap of my bag was digging into my shoulder, and my limp was really not helping. Even if Natsume did decide to come after me, I still had time, not much, but enough.

I could get onto a range road or something and throw him off, or I could find a way to get to the other side of the highway so that I was walking against traffic. That would make it close to impossible for him to get me.

As the shiny convertible raced past me, I saw Naoki on his phone.

Fantastic.

I looked for a break in the traffic to cross to the other side, but I didn't find my ankle reliable to get me across quickly or efficiently. I guess I was going to have to play the cards I had.

I'd been walking for only ten minutes when I heard another car roar up behind me. This time, it actually scared me, since I could feel the heat of the bumper on the back of my legs before the engine was cut.

I yelped and spun around, glaring at the big, black truck. "What the hell are you doing?" I shouted as Natsume climbed out of the driver's side. "Are you trying to scare me into diving onto the road?"

"That'd be nice," I thought I heard him say as he walked up to me and grabbed my arm. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

"I don't have to explain anything to the likes of you!" I yelled, trying to pull away. "Let me go!"

He didn't listen. He hauled me over to his open door and threw me in face first before climbing in after me. He slammed the door shut and started the engine up, while I struggled to sit up properly.

"Ugh," I said, throwing my bag to my feet and pulling my seatbelt across my chest. "You're unbelievable."

"Where were you going?" he demanded blandly.

"Home."

"Did you plan to get there before night?"

"No."

He waited for a break in the traffic before pulling out onto the road. "Why were you trying to walk home?"

"Because I wanted to."

"That's no an answer."

"I told you that I don't have to explain anything to you."

"You're going to."

"Or else?"

"Or else I'm going to throw you in the lake and not remind you how to swim." He looked over his shoulder and changed into the slower lane. When he caught up to the car in front of him, he turned back into the passing lane.

I glared out the windshield. "I'd gladly jump in rather than be with you."

He pulled off the highway on the nearest exit and did a loop, merging into the traffic going to the other way. "If you don't tell me why I'll crash the truck, or cut off payments to your mom."

That got me. "What is there to tell?"

"Everything."

"Such as?"

"Why you didn't answer your phone," he suggested.

I almost smiled as I stared out the window. "It's lying on the road somewhere, squashed to pieces." I wonder if he could sense how happy I was saying that. "A car ran it over when I threw it."

"I take it you didn't want anyone to come after you."

"Duh."

He was silent for a moment, and then he smirked. "Oh, this is about last night."

I scowled. "Kinda."

"Explain." It wasn't a question.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Let's see," I said, mock-thoughtfully. "One, you still haven't told me _why _you kissed me, when you're happily engaged to the most gorgeous girl on the planet." I paused, also mockingly and put my finger to my chin as I turned towards him. "Oh, right, I'm your _test subject._" I clenched my hands into fists. "That's really low, you know? Use your athlete to 'warm up' for your passionate night with your fiancée."

He chuckled. _Chuckled! _

"What are you laughing about?" I snapped.

"You heard that?" I hated how his voice was always so emotionless. It made it impossible to read. "Oh, so that's why you managed to fall down the stairs. You were listening." He turned onto the quiet narrow road. "And I suppose you believed it?"

I frowned. "Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"Maybe because it wasn't true." He rolled his eyes at my baffled expression. "If I told my dad anything but what I did, he would have made the consequences much too severe for your own good."

"Really?" I said, clearly unconvinced. "Like what?"

"Probably something to do with stripping your mom of anything she has left."

My mouth dropped open. "He can do that?"

"Yes." He slammed on the brakes; I went flying forward, my seatbelt saving me from hitting my head on the dashboard, and he was barely jostled. We weren't even at his cabin yet.

"That still doesn't explain why you did it," I growled.

He turned the truck off and hopped out. If I was correct, we still had to go around another corner before we got anywhere near the cabin. He walked over to my side of the truck, ripped the door open, hopped up on the step to reach across me and unbuckled my seatbelt, and then he dragged me out of the car.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

He placed me on the ground. "You're walking."

I narrowed my eyes as I snatched my bag out of his truck. "Gee, how very kind of you." I pointed my chin up. "You could have just asked. You didn't even have to come and get me. You would have found my body in the ditch somewhere."

"You're making me money." Then he was back in his truck and speeding off.

**…****...--...&…****...--...**

I stood stubbornly on the dock, my shoulders tight and my hands in fists at my sides. I was clad in the red bathing suit with white polka dots that Hotaru had lent me the day before, staring at the big, shiny boat with nothing but hatred.

Natsume jumped in after untying the rope at my feet. He waited silently for me to move, and when I didn't, he raised his eyebrow, as if challenging me. "Your mother's entire life is on the line here."

Talk about blackmail…

I stepped carefully into the boat and sat down on the seat at the front, right where the point of the nose was. I glared back at Natsume, who was behind the wheel, slowly backing away from the dock.

"Hey, wait," I said, looking over my shoulder at the house. "What about Ruka and Hotaru?"

"Imai is helping Ruka make supper."

Dang…

"And Luna is letting you on this boat with just me?" I tried.

"She's satisfied with last night," he said, and I shuddered.

Before I could jump back onto the dock, we were racing across the water. I got sprayed, occasionally, and the ride wasn't particularly smooth. Unfortunately, and to my extreme disapproval, I found myself wishing Natsume would take his shirt off.

I crinkled my nose, mostly at myself. What was I thinking?

He had cut the engine in the middle of the lake again, leaving me no lifeline. Then, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. I had to look away from his perfect muscles before I could breathe properly.

I took a deep breath and turned back to him, working on keeping a steady expression. "You never did answer my question." It was more out of frustration of being in the dark than of curiosity.

"What question?" he said, stuffing his discarded shirt in one of the compartments.

"Why did you do it?"

He looked up at me and I saw that familiar smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. "Why not?" He walked calmly and slowly towards me, stopping when his legs were brushing against mine.

I looked up at him, suddenly feeling intimidated. "You're engaged," I reminded him.

"So?"

"You shouldn't be cheating on your fiancée."

"I told you that I didn't like her."

I groaned and shot to my feet. "Yes, you told me that, but you also told me that you _wanted _her to come here. So right now, I'm completely confused and I really don't know if you like her or not!" I was at least a head shorter than him. "Are you going to explain to me, or not?"

He smirked again and grabbed my waist. He looked around once and, seeing no one, he pulled me up to his height and captured my lips with his, an action that absolutely infuriated me. At the same time, though, it set off a magnificent fireworks show in my stomach. That just infuriated me more.

So I liked it. Big deal.

He pulled away. "Does that explain it?"

"No," I said truthfully.

He kissed me again. This time, his warm lips felt a little bit annoyed. He managed to somehow slide his tongue between my unwelcoming lips, and that was when I totally gave in to the cravings.

"Damn you," I whispered when he pulled away to take a breath.

He snickered and kissed me again, his hands tracing intricate designs on the skin on my back. I wondered if it was possible to fall in love with someone in a matter of days.

I scratched that immediately. I was _not _in love. I was simply being a teenager.

It was a lame excuse, I know.

I breathed a sigh. This was all wrong. I had never approved of cheating, and here I was, being the one Natsume was using to cheat on his fiancée. It made me want to punch him, but I couldn't. I was much too weak to pull away now.

He set me down on the chair I had been sitting on before. He sat down beside me, his lips not leaving mine even once. He wrapped his arms around my bare waist and pulled me onto his lap, holding me very closely to him.

"This is bad," I said when I needed to breathe again.

"Why?"

"Because you're getting married."

The next time his lips met mine, it was nearly bruising. "Forget about the damn marriage," he hissed under his breath. "Right now, it's only you and me. No one else."

I didn't have a problem with that, surprisingly.

"Do you plan on telling me why you're doing this?" I breathed.

"I want to."

"That doesn't clear anything up."

"Too bad."

I knew already that something bad was going to happen. I knew before his lips met mine what his intentions were. I knew that he was going to slowly build me up, and then when he was done having his fun with me, he was going to tear me down. Why, then, wasn't I stopping him?

Probably because I was too weak to do that. This felt too good, and pulling away would just ruin my day. I suppose it was better than ruining the rest of my life, but I had friends to pull me through.

"Stop thinking whatever you're thinking," he ordered.

I snorted. "Whatever happened to the rules?"

"Screw the rules. I'm the one breaking them."

His hands wound through my hair and crushed my lips harder on his.

He didn't stop until we heard the roar of another engine. He pulled away, quite abruptly, and looked up, frowning slightly. He lifted me off of his lap and placed me on the leather seat and stood up, leaving me struggling to catch my breath.

I groaned put my hands to my hot face. I was going to regret this.

"Oh, Natsume!" I recognized the voices of one of the guys from the previous day. "What are you up to?" One whistled. "I can't imagine the commotion this would cause if it gets leaked to the press."

The other boat pulled up next to ours.

"But it isn't," Natsume said. "And if any of you tell the press, I will personally slaughter you."

The man at the front of the boat looked over at me and grinned. "Lucky girl, you are."

I shot him a glare.

Natsume waved them off. "Good job, assholes," he said. I was pretty sure he was joking. "Now she's going to make up every excuse in the world to make sure that doesn't happen again."

Another man laughed and revved the engine of his boat. "Sorry, man!" And then they were speeding off.

"In the water," Natsume ordered.

I wasn't up for arguing. Tiredly, I got to my feet and jumped off the bow of the boat.

**…****...--...&…****...--...**

I flopped down on the chair I had been sitting in the night before. Luna sat to one side, Hotaru on the other. Tonight, there was a table full of roast, vegetables, salad, more gravy, and bread. There wasn't much Luna could throw at me. Besides, she was sitting closer to Natsume now.

Hotaru and Ruka had been bickering since me and Natsume had walked in the door.

Hotaru held up a pile of rectangle pieces of paper. She was focused on Ruka. "Someone drools in their sleep," she said dryly, fanning herself with the papers. "And murmurs sweet nothings to himself."

Ruka glared at her. "Shut up," he said.

I had to choke back my laughter.

"Oh, and he dreams about kissing girls."

"Shut up." It sounded a little fiercer.

"And-"

Before she could continue any further, he closed her mouth with his.

I smiled slightly and turned back to my food. Luna giggled and then launched herself on Natsume. I paid no attention to them, still smiling to myself. It was going to hurt when I fell, but I really didn't give a damn.

I might as well enjoy the ride while I was on it, worry about the end when it was over.

Ignoring the make out scenes around me, a stabbed my fork in a piece of meat.

**…****...--...&…****...--...**

A week passed and I was finally able to start running again. Absolutely nothing changed between Natsume and I. We still got in our little squabbles when we ran together on the beach, and we still insulted each other every other second of our lives that we spent together.

His marriage crept closer, and I found myself dreading the moment that he turned his back on me, even though I sensed it was awfully close.

I had been nothing but right.

It was a Wednesday, still a month a half away from my next race. I was on my feet eight hours every day, except Sundays, doing laps, drills, or any other sort of torture my coaches could think of. On Sundays, however, I would either spend time with Hotaru or my mom. Most of the time I was with my mom, since I saw Hotaru almost every day at the track, now that her and Ruka had something going on. I saw Luna more, too, since the whole cabin thing seemed to have enhanced her relationship with Natsume.

That probably had something to do with the sex.

She didn't pay much attention to me, thankfully. Usually, when she showed up, I would run laps or practice high jump by myself. She would be talking and flirting with her fiancé, I would be doing my job. Too bad Natsume didn't have the decency to do his.

I was told to take special care of my ankle in the next race, since it was still healing, and would be a month and a half from now. It ached when I got home every night, making sleep nearly impossible, but I still found my ways.

I had been running laps for an hour, and I had lost count half way through. I was just thinking about finishing up when a dark car pulled up and a girl with unforgettable pink hair jumped out of the back energetically. The man that got out of the driver's side waved at Natsume, who waved back. Ruka had told me he would be late today.

Then the girl, Anna, was running over to me, tossing her bag onto the green in the middle of the track. I slowed to a stop just as she pounced on me, wrapping me in a bear hug.

"I'm sweaty," I informed her.

She giggled and pulled away. "I will be too, soon," she said, grinning. "How've you been?" She glanced down at my foot. "What did Natsume and Ruka make you do when you were off your feet for awhile?"

I crinkled my nose. "Swim."

"Polka dots, run, now!"

I rolled my eyes but did as I was told. So much for finishing soon.

Anna laughed and started running alongside me. "Oh, yeah, Ryo told me he saw you guys there." She winked at my horrified expression. "He tells me everything, but don't worry. It's our little secret."

I swallowed. "Okay."

"You're lucky it didn't get leaked to the press."

"I know." I tried to think of what that would do to me. "Hey, did you advance to the next race?"

She beamed. "Yep. I got fifteenth. I was right behind you. That was a spectacular first race, by the way."

I smiled. "Thanks."

"Polka, faster!"

I scowled but didn't look at him. Instead, I raised my hand and fingered him.

Anna chuckled. "I take it you're jealous."

My steps faltered. "What? No way!" I exclaimed, picking up my pace again. "None of that was my idea. He just came onto me and practically molested me. He uses me to warm up for Luna."

Her mouth dropped open. "That's just _rude_."

"I know, right?" I had a feeling the two of us were going to be good friends. "And then he goes and says he doesn't like her, and he molests me again, and _now _look." I pointed over to where Natsume and Luna were on the big crash mat on the other side of the high jump pole, lying down. Natsume was looming over her, and even from where we were, I could see the smile on his face, the smile I'd never seen before.

Anna's trainer, Ryo, was to the side, taking notes on his clipboard.

"What a bastard," she said disgustedly. "I'd heard he was like that, but I didn't believe it. I didn't think someone so gorgeous could be so cold." She laughed, lightening the mood. "He does kind of seem like the person to do that though, doesn't he?"

"Yes," I said through my teeth. "He's a liar, and I don't want to have anything to do with him." Just talking about him made me want to punch him.

She decided to change the subject. "Did he at least tell you what the next race it going to be like?"

I snorted and motioned to him. "He's too busy playing around with his fiancée."

She clapped her hands together excitedly. "Can I tell you?"

"Sure."

"Okay." She took a deep breath, and I assumed she was trying to think of how to tell me in detail. "It's on a track this time, and it's not actually that long of a race. It's only 800 meters. That's two laps of this track. Now, I know for a fact that you can do way more than that, but this isn't an endurance race. This is speed. You need to run fast to qualify. They'll be doing it in heats, and the top 18 times will advance to the semi finals, and from there, the top nine will advance to the finals. The top six from there will go on to the next round. This information isn't out to the rest of the trainers yet, but my coach has his ways."

I grinned. "Thanks!"

She smiled back. "No problem."

We continued to run, talking like old friends. The subject didn't venture back to Natsume or Luna, and I found myself glad she had come by. Her company was a luxury, and I couldn't be happier at that moment.

And then Ruka showed up and started jogging towards me after greeting Ryo. He was holding something small, silver, and shiny out to me. I glowered at him as Anna and I pulled to a stop.

He smiled at the two of us and then held the cell phone out to me. "Try not to throw it on the highway this time."

I took the thing in my hand and stared at it. "Thanks," I said dryly. It was hard to sound sarcastic when I was panting.

He laughed at my expression. "How long have you been at it?"

"Over an hour," I replied.

"Okay, you can call it a quits."

"_Natsume_ told me to keep running just a minute ago." I spat his name, and Anna choked on her laugh.

He frowned. "I'll talk to Natsume."

"Oh, don't bother," I scoffed, "he's too busy making out with Luna."

He rolled his eyes. "I'll talk to him anyway. You go get in my car. I'll drive you home." Then he was jogging over to the high jump mat.

Anna snatched the phone. "Oh, oh, oh, I'm putting my number in here." Her fingers flew across the buttons. I wondered how she did it. Then she snapped it shut and handed it to me. "Text me in a couple of hours so I can put your number in my phone. We should get together some time!" She waved at me. "See you around!"

I waved back and started walking behind her as she ran. I didn't even glance at Ruka, Natsume, and Luna, but kept my eyes fixed on my destination. I didn't stop until the devil himself came jogging up to me.

I changed my mind. I'd previously thought of Luna as the devil's daughter. I was upgrading her status to the devil's fiancée.

"Hey," Natsume said, running in front of me and forcing me to stop. "What's your problem?"

"Problem?" I growled. "Who said I had a problem?"

"I did, and Ruka did."

I walked around him. "Leave me alone, Hyuuga."

"So it's back to Hyuuga now?" He kept stride with me easily.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Why not?" I said mockingly. "You're a sadistic bastard."

He raised his eyebrows. "Where'd that come from?"

I spun on my heel to face him and jabbed my finger into his chest. "I'm making a deal with you," I said through clenched teeth. "I will go to the next round of these stupid races. If I qualify, I'll go to the next, and I will try my absolute hardest. When I'm out of the matches, I'm done."

He glared down at me. "With no reason at all?"

"I have a reason, but I'm just not telling you." I started walking again.

"That hardly seems fair."

"You're the one who's unfair, Hyuuga," I shot back. "Get back to Luna before she comes over here and tears my head off. I'll have you know that if that happens, you're the first person I'm coming to haunt."

He grabbed my wrist and jerked me back. "Explain yourself now."

"No."

His hand tightened, and I winced. "I'm not giving you a choice."

"I know," I said. "But I'm still not explaining anything to."

"You stubborn little-"

"Now, now, Natsume, don't go using harsh language with her." I hadn't noticed Anna jogging by. She smiled and then continued on her way.

"You're going to tell me what's going on whether it kills you or not."

"I know what I am to you," I said knowingly. "I know that I'm the one who's making you rich, who's making you famous, who's giving you the chance to meet girls like Luna, and I also know that I'm your little toy. I'm not going to put up with that. So you go do whatever the hell you want with Luna, and I'll stay out of the way." I stood on my tiptoes to get right up close and personal. "Wouldn't want you to ruin your reputation, would I?"

**…****...--...&…****...--...**

I was sitting on my bed in the dark, texting Hotaru and Anna. My mom was out working again, and I was thinking about finding myself a job. For the time being, though, I was too busy wallowing in my self pity to worry much about work.

I didn't know how many times I'd told myself I wasn't jealous, or how many times I told myself I didn't care. I was lying to myself, and it wasn't helping at all with the tightness in my chest.

I sighed and let my head fall back onto my pillow. I was exhausted, but I was much too worked up to even try sleeping. My back was sore, though I wasn't sure why, and I was hungry. I hadn't eaten since breakfast. I wasn't in the mood for food. It was the last thing on my mind.

I wasn't worth his time, anyway.

I'd been trying every single possible tactic there was to forget about some boy that was a lost cause, and still I was sitting here, moping. I felt guilty, too, for letting Natsume cheat on Luna with me. No matter how much I hated her, or how much she wanted to kill me, it was still wrong.

I should have stopped him.

My stomach grumbled. I put my hand to my stomach and sighed again. How long was it going to take for this to fade? How long did it take for a girl to get over a guy? How long was I going to have to suffer?

Apparently, longer than I'd hoped.

There was a knock on the door. I could tell by the force of the knock that it was a man, and I debated whether or not to ignore it. Then, deciding that it was possible that we somehow won the lottery, I went to get it.

Well, it certainly wasn't no lottery people giving me money.

There were three guys, all dressed completely in back. The one that was closest to me, the one that I had assumed knocked, had a gun on his belt, a fact that, for some strange reason, didn't faze me. I felt unnaturally calm.

"How much do you think he'll pay?" the one in the back asked.

The man that had knocked shrugged. "Fifty grand, maybe."

I rolled my eyes. "He won't pay anything. He doesn't like me."

"You're making him money," the one that hadn't spoken yet said.

"He can find someone better."

The guy in the front pulled out his gun and held it up to my head. "Come with us, wench, or I'll blow your head off."

I raised my hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, God," I grumbled. "That really wouldn't do you much good, though, would it? You can't get a ransom for a dead girl." I locked the door behind me. "Guys are so _pushy_."

My calmness scared me.

The man with the gun shoved me down the sidewalk until I ended up at a big white van.

"You should get a less obvious vehicle," I suggested. "Something common, you know? This is just asking for someone to see." Here I was giving tips to kidnappers. How smart of me.

The men ignored me and threw me in the back. It was nothing but a big empty space, with no seat, just a few deadly looking garden tools. Two of them got in the front seats and the third, the one with the gun, came and sat in front of me, facing me, the gun still in his hand.

"Shit, there's someone coming," the driver said. He slammed his foot on the gas and I went flying backwards, nearly doing a back flip in the empty space. It reminded me vaguely of my fall down the stairs at Natsume's cabin.

I cringed at the thought of the name.

"It's her coach," the guy in the passenger seat said.

I turned around and brushed the curtains on the back window aside. Sure enough, Natsume's sleek Dodge Viper was roaring up on the rickety van's tail. At least I wasn't going to get raped.

My only problem was that I wasn't entirely happy with the fact that Natsume had to come save me.

Maybe I could save myself. It couldn't be that hard. After all, these horribly unprofessional people had put me in the back of a van with dangerous garden tools. I could clobber all three of them on the head, knock them out cold, and then take over the wheel. I still had my cell phone, too, a fact they had failed to notice, so I could try calling the police.

We were on a quiet road, but there were two lanes going in our direction. I heard Natsume floor it, and his car came up beside the van. I wasn't quite sure why he did what he did next, which was speeding up even more, and then turning abruptly and slamming on the brakes, giving the driver of the van, or me, no time to react.

The van collided with the Viper on the side, creating a 'T'. The driver and passenger were jostled back and forth between their seats and the air bag, the man with the gun flew backwards between the two seats, and I flew forward, right over top of him, my arms stretched out in front of me.

My hands made contact with the glass first, and it shattered around me, slicing my skin. I went sailing through the air, screaming, barely missing Natsume's destroyed car, which had been rolled over onto its top. I managed to break my fall with my arms, and I rolled to a stop away from the flaming debris.

My eyes wide, I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket with shaky, bloody hands and dialed 911.

**…****...--...&…****...--...**

"That _idiot_!" I shouted, storming through the hospital hallways. My hands would have been in fists, but they were all taped up with gauze, giving me no room to really move my fingers at all.

I'd been told over and over that I was extremely luck that I hadn't ended up with brain damage by landing head first on the pavement, and also lucky that Natsume saved me from my kidnappers, who were also being treated in the hospital, and lucky that when I flew from the van I hadn't landed on Natsume's broken car.

_Lucky _was a little bit of an understatement.

All my previous feelings for him were temporarily forgotten. Right now, I was angry that he had nearly killed himself, _and _me, when I had had everything under control.

He was being treated for a broken arm and a few cuts and bruises, but his overall condition wasn't anything serious. Just like me, people were ranting on how lucky he was, but I knew that the car's shell had given him a great deal of protection, and my quick reflexes in calling an ambulance could have saved his life.

I stormed right into the emergency room that I knew he was being kept in, his arm being wrapped in a sling. "You are the stupidest, most suicidal idiot I have ever met in my entire life!" I yelled coming to a stop beside the nurse. She was probably being called lucky, too, for getting assigned to _The _Natsume Hyuuga.

"That's not exactly the thank you I was expecting," he growled.

"I did _not _need saving!" I went on. "I had everything under control! Those idiots that call themselves kidnappers had no idea what they were doing. They put me in the back of a van with a bunch of garden tools and they didn't take my cell phone, and when you decided to come along and nearly kill me, I was just plotting on clobbering them all over the head!"

The nurse raised her eyebrow, but continued with her work.

"So I'm not going to thank you, not a chance!"

"Oh, you're still mad at me."

"Yes, and you just added another reason for me to be mad at you." I held up my gauze covered hands. "This is all your fault. Now my mom is going to be on my case, and Hotaru and Anna are probably going to gang up on me. Not to mention Luna is probably going to find a way to blame it on me."

"Relax."

"I'm not going to _relax_!"

The nurse finished wrapped his arm and stood up. "Okay, you're all good to go."

Natsume stood up, his gaze fixed solely on me. "Thanks." He walked over to where I stood, grabbed my arm with his good hand, and started to tow me out of the room and into the hallway. I was actually surprised that they weren't keeping him over night. "You have a lot of talking to do, polka dots."

I pulled my arm back with all the force I could muster up. "I already told you," I snapped. "I'm leaving as soon as I'm out of this round of races."

"You signed a contract."

"It said I couldn't back out and go train with someone else. I don't plan on training for anyone."

"What the hell has gotten into you?"

"Hey, I'm not the one going around and kissing girls when I'm engaged and then acting as if nothing ever happened, and then saying I said a bunch of stuff for your own good, when really all I were doing was lying to you," I defended. "Like I said, you're a sadistic bastard."

"You're jealous," he stated.

I was sure I looked offended. "I am _not_!" I gasped. "I would never be jealous of _Luna!_"

"Admit it."

"I'm not going to start lying just because you do."

He gritted his teeth and bent down so that his face was right in front of mine. "I don't have a choice, little girl," he said. "The only reason I'm even with her is because my dad is selfish and will do anything for money. I'll admit it, I kissed you in front of the cameras to piss him off."

"Molested," I corrected.

He ignored me. "But I don't like that filthy wench anymore than you would like me to break your neck."

That was…shocking.

"You were _smiling_."

He smirked. "It's called acting."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Yes."

"And if I don't?"

"I'll throw out the window of the plane on our way to the track in a month."

"So, once again, you're giving me-" I paused. "What? Plane? Track? What are you talking about?"

"The race isn't here, idiot."

_Greaaattt…planes…_

Scowling, I pulled my hand away from him and crossed my arms over my chest. "I'm still mad at you."

He narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"You almost killed me."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, big deal."

I gasped. "_Big deal?_" I shrieked, more offended than before. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged. "It means exactly as it implies."

"I hate you."

"Natsume!" The squeal belonged to none other than Luna. She was between us, facing Natsume, in seconds. "Are you okay? Oh, my, your arm." She spun around to face me. "What were you thinking?"

I hoped I looked amused. "Told you she'd find a way to blame it on me," I said to Natsume over her shoulder. Then I turned back to her. "Are you going to tell me why you seem to think it's my fault?"

"If you hadn't gone and let those guys kidnap you and make my Natsume come after you-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" My hands shot up in front of me, palms out, defensively. "I didn't make him do anything. I didn't ask him to come and save me. I had the situation totally in control."

"Sure," she miffed.

Natsume leaned down and whispered something in Luna's ear, and she nodded and went walking speedily down the hallway, back the way she had come.

"I like to win," he said to me sincerely. "And you are a worthy prize." Smirking, he walked by me.

I spun around and watched him go, glaring. The filthy little playboy. He really didn't get it. I didn't want to be played with. I only wanted him if he was willing to be faithful to me.

I crinkled my nose at even the thought of wanting him.

Sadistic bastard…

**…****...--...&…****...--...**

A/N: That was a surprisingly fast update, hey? Wow, I did that in one day, while I was half asleep. Excuse the errors that are bound to be in here. Like I said, I did this when I was half asleep, and now I'm going to bed but I want to put this chapter up so that you guys don't have to wait any longer!

I hope you enjoyed this one as much as you enjoyed the last one!

Now, I think I'm going to hit the sack.

Thanks for all the support, guys!

And special thanks to... **Gooey Marshmallow! **for being my 100th reviewer! Thanks so much!

xoxo

Ducky-san


	8. Confusion

I still don't own Gakuen Alice, and I doubt that'll ever change.

...

.-.-.If you **sacrifice **early, you'll _win _late.-.-.

--Charles Haley--

...

"Yeah, yeah, I got it! I have absolutely everything I need. Stop fretting." I stuffed my toothbrush into my bag of toiletries, cradling the phone between my ear and my shoulder. "I'll meet you at the airport." My phone beeped. I took it away from my ear and glanced at the screen. "I gotta go. I have another call. See ya soon."

"Mikan! Hurry up!" My mom appeared at my door. "You need to leave soon!"

I pressed a button on the phone. "Hello?"

"Where are you?" The bored drawl made me twitch with irritation.

"In my house," I replied dryly.

Natsume snorted on the other end. "Well our plane leaves is an hour."

I rolled my eyes and picked my bag up from the floor, gave an acknowledging smile to my mom, and then brushed past her. "I'm aware of that. I'll be out in a minute. Have a little patience." I snapped my phone shut. "Mom! Are you sure you don't want to come?"

She followed me down the hallway, smiling. "No, dear, I'll just watch on TV. You have your fun times with Natsume." She gave me a nudge towards the door, and I frowned.

I definitely hadn't missed the fact that she hadn't said anything about Hotaru and Ruka.

"Oh, I will," I said with a scowl.

We were headed off to the next race, which was in a week. Natsume and Ruka wanted me to train on the official track for a week, and we'd be staying in a fancy, five star hotel, paid for by Natsume's dad.

I was surprised…and then Natsume had gone and told me that he had made a deal with his father. He would take Luna and Naoki would pay for the high class hotel and all other expenses.

So I had to deal with Luna on this trip, too. I could deal. I could definitely deal. All I had to do was keep very far away from Natsume, whose arm was no longer in a sling, and make sure Luna never saw me with him no matter _what _we were doing. Except at the race, because I doubted I'd be able to ditch him then.

The good thing was that Hotaru was coming, courtesy of Ruka, and Anna and her coach would be down the following day. I'd have someone to train with and against. All I had to do, as I was told multiple times by Ruka, was do my best.

I'd debated over purposely losing the race just so I could have some freedom, and then I'd gone over the consequences. One, my mom would be in trouble. Two, Ruka would be crushed. And three, I wanted to win _everything _so that I could drop out of the contract and rub it in Natsume's face that he had lost a winner.

The wedding interfered with my plans, too.

It was a week after we got back from this race, and I had been asked – correction; ordered – to go, by none other than Natsume himself. I could see by the glint in his eye that he was up to something.

Maybe I could ruin the plans I knew he was brewing.

I decided I would focus on other things, like winning…and rubbing it in his face.

I gave my mom a kiss on each cheek and bade her farewell, lugging my bag after me. I opened the front door and started down the walk to the taxi waiting on the curb. Natsume was too worried about his precious vehicles getting damaged or stolen while they waited for a week at they airport to use one of them.

We were taking a cab instead. Luna was meeting us there.

The cab driver popped the trunk of the ugly yellow and black vehicle and I threw my bag in with Hotaru's, Ruka's, and Natsume's. Then I opened the back door and slid in next to Hotaru. Of course Natsume was in the front seat, leaving Ruka to cram himself in the back with us.

"Take long enough?" Hotaru said, helping me with my seatbelt, as the cab driver pulled out onto the street.

I sighed in relief when the seatbelt was taken care of. "I can only go so quickly when I have people calling me and ragging on me to hurry up." I elbowed her in the ribs and shot Natsume a glare. "You guys are so impatient."

Natsume turned in his seat to face me. "You should know that by now."

I made a face at him.

The rest of the ride was mostly silent. I was tired. I'd been for a run already that day, and it was coming on ten o'clock at night. Our plane left at ten thirty, which gave us plenty of time.

We got to the airport without any delays, and we grabbed our stuff out of the trunk. Ruka offered to carry Hotaru's bags, but she refused, saying that no one got to carry her camera case except for her. Then he offered me, and I said that I could manage on my own. Natsume did nothing but insult me.

We walked in through the automatic doors only to be blown away by the loud noise as thousands of people shuffled through the airport around us. One voice, however, stood out over all others.

"_Natsume!_"

I cringed at Luna's high pitched, annoying voice and turned away as she sprang into her lover's arms. Natsume and I had discussed nothing of the accident, nor of anything that happened in the cabin, much to my relief, and I intended to keep it that way.

"Two weeks, Natsume, _two weeks!_" Luna bubbled, clinging to Natsume's arm as he led the way through the airport. "And then we'll be officially married, together forever, and I don't have to worry about you going off with someone else!"

To my extreme anger, Natsume glanced at me over his shoulder and smirked.

Jerk.

Hotaru caught the spark, unfortunately, and elbowed me in the ribs. "What was that look all about?" she whispered, leaning close to my ear. "Oh, yeah, you and Hyuuga have a thing."

"A thing?" I sputtered in shock, pushing her away. "I don't think so!"

"Don't try to hide it."

Before I could reply, she swiftly moved away to talk to Ruka.

I hoped I'd get lucky and get to sit by myself on the plane.

We went through customs and through security and every other thing there was to go through, and then we ended up at the terminal, with twenty minutes until boarding time. So I'd been rushed for no reason.

I flopped down on one of the chairs, pulling my track coat against my stomach. Hotaru sat down gracefully beside me, Ruka beside her, and Natsume and Luna remained standing in front of us.

I had to restrain myself to keep from slapping Luna.

And then I had to keep from slapping myself.

_I was not JEALOUS!_

Not a chance.

I grimaced at even the thought of the word, earning a curious stare from Ruka and a knowing one from Hotaru. Damn best friends…Sometimes it got annoying when they seemed to know everything that was going on in your head.

"Shut up," I grumbled to her before she had a chance to say anything.

Finally, a voice came on over the intercom. "Flight 123, now boarding."

Yawning, I got to my feet.

"First class only has two seats beside each other, meaning one person is going to have to sit alone or with someone we don't know," Ruka said. I could tell that he was getting ready to volunteer himself.

I stopped him before he could. "I will," I said sleepily. "I want to."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded as he handed me my ticket.

We boarded the plane with no difficulty. I was showed to my nice, comfy, spacious leather seat, and I collapsed in the window seat. The stewardess told me that no one was assigned to the seat beside me, and I offered her a tired thank you.

Hotaru and Ruka were behind me, and Luna and Natsume were across the aisle from them, meaning I was diagonal to them, and quite a ways away.

Satisfied, I rested my head against the closed window and closed my eyes.

Two stewardesses in our section of the plane went over the safety rules of the plane. I didn't pay much attention. I'd been on a plane before, and I knew what to do. I didn't necessarily like planes, but no one had to know that.

The light dimmed and I sighed in relief.

And then the plane started moving, and my eyes snapped open.

I saw Natsume snicker out of the corner of my eye.

Scowling, I slipped my feet out of my shoes and pulled them up onto the seat, making doubly sure that my seatbelt was secure. Then I closed my eyes again, this time resting my head on the armrest. I tried to ignore the popping of my ears as the plane got higher and higher, and the flip of my stomach as the cabin pressure altered.

I hated planes.

When the plane was up in the air without difficulty, I began to drift. One of the stewardesses asked me if I wanted a blanket or a pillow, but I shook my head, mumbled something incoherent, and pulled my jacket over me. I heard the same stewardess pampering Natsume, asking him if he needed any possible thing you could offer on a plane.

I would have rolled my eyes if I had been more conscious.

I didn't fully awaken until I felt someone sit down in the seat next to me. Groaning, I sat up. The first person I saw was Natsume, who was standing in the aisle, facing me, meaning he couldn't be the one sitting next to me.

Curious, I turned my sleepy eyes to the person next to me…

…and I nearly gagged.

This man did not look at all like he belonged in first class. He had a big nose, a scruffy beard and moustache, his hair was shoulder length and greasy, he had a giant potbelly, and he was possibly the most unattractive man I had ever seen.

"What are you doing?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

He ignored Natsume and grinned at me, flashing two rows of crooked, yellow teeth. "I couldn't help but notice that you were here alone," he replied. "I thought I might come over here and keep you company while you slept. You're a very pretty young lady, and I was hoping that you might want to come with me to my hotel when we get off the plane."

I looked up at Natsume, unfazed, and the man followed my gaze.

And then he was on his feet, smiling. "Well, I'll be darned! You're the famous Natsume Hyuuga! What would a handsome young lad be doing here? What can I do for you?"

Natsume nodded at me. "She's with me."

The man paused, and then his mouth formed an 'o' of understanding. "Oh, well, I'm terribly sorry." He reminded me of a very unfit cowboy. "I had no idea." I saw him glance at Luna, who was sleeping against the window. "I thought you were with her. I'm sorry for disturbing you." He turned and gave me a polite bow and then hobbled off. I didn't see where he sat down.

Shrugging, I resumed my previous position.

"Get her a pillow and a blanket," I heard Natsume order. I assumed he was getting them for Luna.

"Sure thing," the stewardess replied.

Then someone sat down beside me again.

"Go away," I moaned, pulling my jacket over my head. "I want to sleep."

"You're not sleeping like that," Natsume murmured, only loud enough for me to hear. "It'll make every inch of your body ache, and I'm not cutting you any slack. This week is going to be tough."

"Great. Go away anyway."

"Sit up." When I didn't respond, he flicked my forehead. I opened my eyes, sat up, crossed my arms over my chest, and glared at him as best as I could through my fatigue. I was certain that he was laughing inside.

The stewardess returned with a pillow and a blanket, stopping beside Natsume. I frowned as she passed them to me. She smiled and walked away, tending to someone else's needs.

"What are these for?"

He rolled his eyes, snatched the pillow from me, placed it where my head had previously been, wrapped his arm around my shoulders and forced me down, and then pulled the blanket over me. Then he patted my head and stood up.

"They're for sleeping."

"I was fine, thanks." But I didn't move.

He snorted. "You'll be more manageable if you get a better sleep."

I would have argued, but I was already unconscious.

The next time I woke up, it was to another sudden change in cabin pressure and the captain's voice over the intercom. It scared me out of my socks, and I sat up so fast that it made my head spin. The pillow fell to the ground and the blanket slid to my waist.

The seatbelt sign flashed on.

Struggling to keep my eyes open, I adjusted my position to a sitting position. The stewardess asked for my pillow and blanket, which I gave to her, and then I slipped my jacket on, shivering. I glanced at the time on my cell phone and saw that we'd been in the air for three hours. It was close to two o'clock in the morning.

I hoped desperately that I would get my own hotel room. I didn't see why I wouldn't. After all, Luna and Natsume would be together in one, and Ruka and Hotaru would probably be together in one.

We were let off the plane and Hotaru had to grab my hand and tow me behind her to get me to keep up. My exhausted legs felt like noodles beneath me, and the slow pace at which we were walking felt like running to me.

Natsume and Ruka took care of the rental vehicle, and before long, I was seated in the warm car, squished between Hotaru and Luna. Natsume was driving, Ruka was riding shotgun.

Surprisingly, no words were exchanged between the Luna and I. We were both too tired.

We got to the hotel within an hour, Natsume cursing and weaving and braking quickly and suddenly through the city. It made sleep impossible, so by the time we actually got inside the huge, first class hotel, I was about ready to collapse.

Hotaru and I stood behind Natsume and Ruka as they talked to the clerk at the desk. Luna had disappeared to the bathroom.

"Under Hyuuga," Natsume said.

The clerk looked at something on his screen, clicking here and there. "Three rooms?" He looked up and smiled at his customers. "Those are on the third floor, suites 345, 346, and 347." He pulled up a big envelope and produced three smaller envelopes. "There are two keys for each room."

Ruka picked up two of the envelopes. He kept one in his hand and gave the other one to me. "Do you want to share a room with Hotaru?"

I snickered. "Nope. You two go right ahead." I turned and started to make my way to the elevator, but Natsume stopped me.

"Give me one of your keys."

I turned back and raised my eyebrow. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Let's just say that I wouldn't be entirely surprised if you lost yours, or locked it in your room."

My eyes narrowed, but I didn't argue. All I wanted was to sleep, so I pulled one of the key cards out and tossed it at him. He caught it easily.

I didn't wait any longer. Hotaru followed me up to my room, claiming that she was scared I was going to pass out in the elevator if she wasn't there to keep me awake, and then she parted and went to her own room.

I pressed the key into the lock with my eyes half closed and let myself into the darkness. I only took the time to change into my pajamas, take a brief look around the room, brush my teeth, go to the bathroom, and throw my bag on the ground beside the huge bed before I was curling up under the sheets and falling asleep gratefully.

* * *

I thought I heard a door open in my dream, and I thought I felt someone tear my blankets off of me. And then I thought I felt someone wrap their hand around both of my ankles and pull them to the side.

That was when I realized I wasn't dreaming.

It was too late by then. I was already landing on the ground with a loud thud.

My eyes snapped open. "Natsume!" I shouted, hopping to my feet and rubbing my tailbone. "What are you doing?" I glanced at the clock. It was only five thirty in the morning. I groaned and glared at him in the dim light of the morning. "What the hell? What if I'd been sleeping naked?"

He shrugged as he whipped the curtains open. I squinted as the first rays of sun filtered in through the window. "Your loss, not mine."

"Pervert."

"You and I are going for a run," he announced, throwing my bag of sports equipment at me.

I shook my head and flopped back on my bed. "No. I've only been sleeping for, like, an hour. I'll be useless. I'll fall over and then you'll have to carry me all the way back. What fun would that be?"

He rolled his eyes. "That's a little dramatic."

"Honestly," I said, closing my eyes and pulling the blankets up to my chin. "I'm sleeping, whether you like it or not." I yawned. "Get out of my room. I'll take care of that key I so stupidly gave you later."

"If you don't get up, I'll strip down to my boxers and lay with you, under the blankets, until you get up."

I sat up abruptly. "_Please, _let me sleep," I begged. "I'll do anything."

I regretted saying it as soon as I saw him smirk. "Anything?" he countered, raising his eyebrow. Before I could reply, he continued. "Okay, then if I let you sleep, you can't run away from me. You have to let me train you for as long as I want to train you."

I sneered at him and threw the sheets back. "Maybe not anything. I hate you."

"Good." He walked over to the couch that was pressed up against the far wall and sat down. "Hurry up and get ready."

I stood up and stared at him, waiting for him to leave. When he didn't, I crossed my arms. "You can go. I'm not going to risk having you sleep in the same space as me just because I'm tired. I'll be ready in ten minutes."

He shook his head. "I'll wait here."

I sent him my fiercest glare and snatched my bag up on the floor, hauling it to the bathroom. "What about Luna? She's going to flip when she wakes up and you're not in bed with her."

"Good for her."

I slammed the bathroom door shut, eyeing the Jacuzzi tub longingly. That was the first thing I was going to do when we got back from the run. Then, I was going to sleep for the rest of the day. I doubted Natsume would allow that, and I would fight him until I got what I wanted.

I dressed in sweats and a workout shirt, brushed my teeth and hair, and pulled my hair into a high ponytail. Then, I pulled on my running shoes and let myself out of the bathroom. I left my bag by the sink.

Natsume was already on his feet, walking over to me, or to the door, before I was even out. He brushed past me and opened the door, walking out. I rolled my eyes, turned out the bathroom light, and followed him, closing the room door quietly behind me.

I jogged to catch up with Natsume's fast pace and stopped when he did at the elevators. The doors opened and he strode in. I was right on his heels. To my dismay, the elevator was empty.

When the doors closed, I turned to him. "Is this even healthy?"

He shrugged. "Probably not." He paused. "Do you know how many things I could do to you right now in an empty elevator?"

I narrowed my eyes. "If you come anywhere near me, I will kick you between the legs to hard you won't be called a man anymore."

He seemed to think about it for a second. "I might listen if that was actually believable."

Before he could pull anything, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Satisfied, I walked through the doors before him, smiling. He caught stride with me easily and then led me out the doors and onto the sidewalk.

"I'm hungry," I said as I started to jog.

"Your problem."

"Why'd you have to get me up so early?"

He was silent for a moment, and I looked over to read his expression. As usual, there was no expression to read. "I like watching you suffer."

I decided to let that one go. "Nice hotel."

"Yeah."

I clenched my teeth. "You really can't keep a conversation going, can you?"

"I don't like to talk when I'm running."

"Oh. You could have said so." I shut my mouth. The rest of the run was silent, besides the occasional time that I started talking to myself and Natsume started telling me to shut up. We were almost done when we ran into my worst nightmare.

The press.

We'd been running for an hour and half, making it just past seven o'clock. I was about ready to fall asleep on my feet, and then I was startled into complete awareness when Natsume grabbed my arm and jerked me into an alley.

"Ugh," I mumbled. "Of course we run into trouble. I want to _sleep_." I'd changed my plans while we were running. I would sleep and then I'd relax in the Jacuzzi tub. The last thing that I wanted was to fall asleep in the Jacuzzi and wind up drowning myself.

Natsume slowed to a walk, leading the way through the maze of alleys. Without saying a word, he got us right back to where we started, no press, no anyone. Just a quiet hotel.

I sighed in relief and practically sprang at the doors. In record time, I was at the elevator doors and waiting impatiently for them to open. Natsume arrived just as they did, revealing two people. Both got out, and we got in.

"I really don't like you," I said as the elevator hummed to life.

"Too bad."

I refrained from coming up with another smart remark and stepped out of the elevator when the doors opened. I arrived at my door in silence and was reaching into my pocket when Natsume grabbed me by the shoulders and spun me around, that annoying, amused smirk on his face.

"Why did I get you up so early?" he asked. "Because you know how to drive a man crazy."

He was in his room across the hall from mine before I even had a chance to open my mouth. So I was driving him crazy? What was that supposed to mean? Shrugging it off, I reached into my pocket and turned to my door…and froze.

Fantastic.

No key.

I wondered if he had planned this. Unenthusiastically, I turned to his door and knocked softly. The door opened only a second later, and Natsume stood, leaning on the doorframe, with his shirt off.

I had to do everything in my power not to stare at his six pack.

"Miss me already, Polka?"

"No," I spat. "I locked myself out of my room."

He smirked again, and I felt like slapping him. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"Open my door for me so I can sleep. Duh."

He crossed his arms over his perfectly toned chest. "What do I get in return?"

I crinkled my nose. "Whatever you want besides what you said earlier about having to train for you for as long as you wanted to train me. Anything but that."

Without a word, he disappeared, leaving the door open. When he returned, he was holding the card key that he had insisted on keeping. He brushed past me and opened my door, still smirking. "I'll take care of that later, but I'm holding you on your word, Polka."

I rolled my eyes and walked into my room, closing the door behind me with such force that I was surprised the whole building didn't come down. I knew that I was going to regret saying that to him.

Stupid Natsume…

* * *

Of course, Natsume didn't let me sleep. The knock on my door at noon time got me up. Sluggishly, I pulled myself to the door, not bothering to look through the peephole. I opened the door and met the eyes of my visitor.

I slammed the door in his face.

"Hey!" Tsubasa shouted on the other side.

I banged my head on the door. "Go away," I whispered to myself. "Go away, go away, go away."

"Mikan, come on! I'm not going to hurt you."

Scowling, I opened the door again and glared at him. "What do you want? Are you going to rape me? Curse me into losing my next race? Or did you just come here to bother the hell out of me?"

He almost smiled. "I came to apologize."

"Apology not accepted. Go away."

He didn't.

Rolling my eyes, I called, "Natsume!" down the hall.

Fear flickered across his face, and he stepped forward. "No, please, I just want to let you know that it was wrong of me to kiss you like that and that I'm really, really sorry."

I pursed my lips. "Are you stalking me?"

I heard a door open down the hallway. I turned my head and smiled when I saw Hotaru and Ruka, Hotaru in a light blue bathing suit and Ruka in a pair of trunks and a white T-shirt. Hotaru was carrying something in her hand, but I was more focused on the furious look on her face.

"Tsubasa, get the hell out of here before I snap your neck," she threatened. "Or before I get Hyuuga and Nogi to beat the pulp out of you. Touch her and die." The look on her face combined with the fury in her eyes made me believe her, and even though the threat wasn't directed at me, I shivered.

"But-"

"No buts," Hotaru said, tossing the object in her hand at me. It was a bathing suit. "Hyuuga is down at the pool. You have to swim."

"You can't mess up your sleep patterns," Ruka put in.

"Okay, okay, that makes sense," I said with a sigh. "I'll meet you guys down there. Take _him _with you, and if you lose track of him at any time, send someone up to make sure I'm still a virgin."

Hotaru pushed Tsubasa in the way they were headed. Ruka smiled at me, and then the three of them disappeared.

I closed the door and changed into the red and white bathing suit in the middle of the room. I fell over twice before I managed to get the bathing suit on, as well as a pair of shorts and a tank top. I grabbed one of the towels from the bathroom and then jogged in my bare feet to the elevator. Inside the elevator, there were two old men and two old women. They both smiled at me, and I got in with them.

I didn't try to make small talk, and when the doors opened on the main floor, I booked it to the desk, asked where to find the pool, and then dashed down the hallway. The last thing I needed was to be late and have Natsume throw me in.

When I got to the doors of the pool, I stopped to compose myself, and then I opened the door and walked in, blasted by a waft of hot, humid air. I saw Hotaru standing by Ruka, who was behind Natsume, who was facing Tsubasa, clearly yelling at him.

I walked quickly over to them and slipped in front of Hotaru, tapping Natsume's arm. "How 'bout you punch him in the face again, get his ass kicked out of here, and then continue with training?" I looked around the large pool. "And where's Luna?"

"Shopping," Hotaru and Ruka said in unison.

"I'm thinking about a restraining order," Natsume said, still glaring at Tsubasa, who was looking at me. "Get in the pool, do two lengths of the front crawl, and then wait for me at the deep end."

I shrugged. Though I hadn't known how to tread water, I knew how to front crawl.

I walked around to the deep end of the pool and dove in. When I came up, I took a breath, did three strokes, took another. I continued with the procedure until I got to the shallow end, where I did a sloppy flip around and then went back to the deep end. Out of breath, I pulled myself up onto the ledge.

Natsume was already there, a clip board in his hand. He marked something down and then set it aside. "Not bad. Now do four more."

I crinkled my nose. "I can't."

"Fifty-fifty."

"What's that?"

"Fifty pushups, fifty sit ups. Now."

I gaped. "What? Why?"

"For saying 'I can't'. It's a rule."

Groaning, I did as best as I could. I had to alternate. Ten sit ups, ten push ups, and then I repeated until I had fifty of each. The sit ups hurt my tailbone, and Natsume had to sit down on the ground and hold my hands in place while I did the pushups because they kept slipping on the wet deck.

"Now, four lengths." As he spoke, he stripped off his red T-shirt and tossed it aside. The pool wasn't busy, so he didn't have to worry about it getting in the way of anyone. "I'll time you."

Sighing, I let myself drop into the water. I did two lengths cleanly, and the third was sloppy. When I got to the shallow end on the third lap, I stopped and had debated making a run for it, but one glance at the look on Natsume's face made me decide otherwise. I dragged myself through the last length.

"That was horrible."

"I'm sorry! I'm not a swimmer."

"So triathlons are out?"

"Yes."

"Do you need me to kiss you to make you focus?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Oh, you mean molest me? That's the last thing I need."

He rolled his eyes and pried my fingers off of the ledge. With a yelp, I sank under and as I fought to get to the surface, I heard a splash. When I broke through the water, Natsume was just appearing from the water. He flipped his hair around to get it out of his face without touching it, and then looked at me.

"Race."

"I'll lose," I said confidently.

"If you lose, I kiss you…underwater."

I made a face. "Ready, set, go!" I said without a pause, and then I dove forward. By the time I got to the other end, Natsume was already there, looking victorious and smug.

"I win," he stated.

I took a step back. "You're not kissing me here."

"Natsume!"

Who knew that I'd ever be happy that Luna arrived?

Okay, maybe I wasn't happy, because I wasn't going to deny the fact that I liked kissing him, but deals like the one he had just made with me were very bad for my self control.

Shopping bags in hand, Luna rushed to the edge of the pool, tripped…and toppled into the water.

I turned away and burst into laughter.

* * *

I'd been having a pleasant dream. First, I was running in my race. I had been in first place, but the vision had faded before I crossed the finish line. Then, I'd been back in my hotel room, looking around for something. The next thing I knew, there was a knock on my door. I'd gone to answer it with high hopes that it would be the person I wanted to see.

It was.

Natsume stood in the doorway with a rose in hand. Natsume and roses? Since when?

"Sorry for waking you," he said. His voice sounded funny. "But I wanted to talk to you."

I waved it off. "Oh, don't worry, you didn't wake me. What would you like to talk to me about?"

"How I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I kissed you," he replied. What was wrong with his voice?

"Awe, that's sweet! Who knew you could be romantic?"

He handed me the rose. "A token of my love for you. May I have a kiss?"

"Of course!" I stumbled forward, and he caught me. His arms didn't feel as bulk as I remembered. I could have sworn he had pretty gorgeously toned biceps. All I could feel now was a couple of sticks.

Even so, his lips let mine. That was different too. What a dream… This person felt awfully similar to…Oh, God, no. What kind of dream was this?

"Sorry for interrupting."

Now _that _voice sounded normal. I pulled away from this other person abruptly, and my vision came to focus. Natsume was standing by his door, shirtless and in a pair of boxers. I looked down at myself and saw that I was in a long T-shirt that only barely covered my behind. And if Natsume was there, then whose arms was I in?

Horrified, I looked to Tsubasa's smug face and hopped back. "Oh, God! Gross, gross, gross!" I dragged my hands over my lips and tongue. "Why do I have to sleep walk?" I wailed.

"You, leave," Natsume ordered, pointing at Tsubasa while walking towards me.

Tsubasa shrugged and turned. "I got what I wanted. See ya, Mikan." Then he was gone, and I turned reluctantly to Natsume.

"I swear to God that I was sleep walking," I said before he had a chance to hound on me. "I thought that he was you, and I thought that it was weird that nothing felt right, and-"

"Back up, back up," he said, smirking. He crossed his arms over his toned chest. "Say that again."

I knew my mistake. "Um…I swear to God I was sleep walking?"

"After that."

"I don't remember."

He raised his eyebrow.

"He came onto me, alright?" I exclaimed, giving in. "I just opened the door."

"I saw the whole thing," he mused. "You leapt on him."

I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand. "Great."

"So, you like me, huh?" He took a step closer and his hands fell to my waist. "Well, then all of those struggles and wasted efforts were for nothing. Shame, shame, shame. We'll have to make up for that."

I stared at my toes. "I hate you."

"According to what you just said, I think you're lying." Then he picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Hey!" I yelled. "What are you doing?"

He didn't say anything until we got to the elevator. He set me down when the doors closed, pressed a button, and then crushed his mouth to mine. When the elevator dinged, he pulled away and looked up. "Oops, wrong floor." He pressed another button, and I scowled. I made sure to press the right one, but the other one he had pressed came first. He kissed me again, fiercely, and didn't flinch when the elevator dinged again. He didn't stop until we got to the main floor. "That's my repayment for opening your door."

"Meany."

He threw me over his shoulder again and carried me down the hallway. I smelled the pool before we got to the door.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"When I make deals, I stick to them."

Before I could protest, I felt the warm water close in around me, and felt his lips on mine once again.

* * *

I was chewing on my pillow. Two days before race day, and I definitely wasn't chewing on my pillow because I was stressed about running. I was stressed about my dear, pushy, mean, rude coach.

Why did I have to like him, of all people?

After he'd jumped into the pool with me, he'd had to make me make a break for it, since Luna had heard me yell when we'd been in the hallway. So I'd pretty much sprinted into the girls change room and taken the back way out, and then raced back to my room. I'd taken the stairs. After some sleep, I'd woken up and started chewing on my pillow.

Something in the pit of my stomach begged me to take action, while another part, my self control, told me to back off. I wanted to listen to my self control, but it lost.

I could only think of one thing to do, and that was to stop the wedding from happening. Of course, as soon as I was done running all my races, I'd still back out of the contract, because my dignity was too important to me.

But how did you break up a famous person's wedding and steal the groom?

* * *

A/N: I am SO sorry. I could have had this updated two weeks ago, and i should have, because i just added a few more paragraphs today before i decided it was done. Sorry that it's not so long either. It really doesn't seem like i've been as busy as I have been, but i've been so tired that i've gone to bed at 8:30 almost every school night. I just had my pre season volleyball tournament today and yesterday (you should have seen my dive into the wall and my belly flop, the belly flop really hurt) and i expect to be busy with running, volleyball, and school for awhile still.

Sorry to all of the reviews that i didn't reply to! my email is being screwy, and i've been busy, of course. I'll try to update a little quicker next time, but i'm not promising anything! I love you guys!

xoxo  
Ducky-san


	9. I Love Him, I Love Him Not

Still don't own Gakuen Alice. Hehe.

* * *

I'd never had so many knots in my stomach before. Never. And this time, it wasn't because of my coach. This time, it was all the race that was about to happen. I felt sick, and for the hundredth time that evening, I wanted to curl up in a ball and pretend that none of this was happening.

My heat was next. Anna had already raced, and she placed first in her heat, meaning that she moved onto the semis. I'd attempted to fake sick, but that didn't work on Natsume, since part of the contract said that I had to do my job no matter what.

I rubbed my arms furiously. It wasn't cold on the track, but my legs were shaking so bad that my body thought I was cold. My teeth were almost chattering.

"Hey, Polka," Natsume returned with a piece of paper in his hand. "You're in lane one to start, but you don't have to stay in that lane. Remember, this is eight hundred meters, two laps around this track, and you have to go fast to place top eighteen." He narrowed his eyes. "If you lose, there will be serious consequences."

"Fantastic," I said sarcastically. "Kill me now."

"Just run the stupid race and run it good. It's not that big of a deal."

"Okay, okay. Now go away so I can calm myself down."

"I've got one week of freedom, little girl. Either make it last, or make it longer." With that, her turned and left.

I made a face at his back. I wasn't sure if I wanted to break up the wedding anymore. I mean, was I really _that _in love with him? Was I even in love with him at all? He was so mean to me! If I did manage to break up the wedding, what would happen to us?

But my heart jumped every time he turned those crimson eyes on me, and I felt lost again.

Five other girls were stretching around me. We had only three minutes until we started our race. I got dirty looks from a lot of the girls, and I guess that they were still jealous of who my coaches were.

Oh well, they could live with it.

I blinked repeatedly until my eyes were moist, and then I bent down and started stretching my calves, one foot in front of the other. I didn't stand up until I felt someone standing beside me.

"What?" I said, glaring at Natsume.

"Don't burn yourself out on the first lap," he advised. "Take it slow, but not too slow, and then let it out on the second lap."

"Okay," I said, shrugging.

"If your ankle is bothering you, stop."

I raised my eyebrow. "You'd rather me have a good ankle than have me win a race? Hm. That's unlike you."

"I don't need you doing permanent damage."

"Sounds like a plan."

For once, he wasn't glaring at me. He looked very casual, and I felt my heart melt, though I was absolutely certain that it didn't show on my face. I had to be very careful with my facial expressions now. Just one slip and humiliation would become my best friend.

"Don't worry about semis tomorrow, and don't worry about the finals the day after that, even though you'll be running them." He looked at the paper that was still in his hand.

That was actually a great confidence booster.

He turned his eyes back to me. "Think about the reward you're going to get when you win."

"Oh, gee, I wonder what kind of reward you could possibly come up with." My voice was dry, but for some reason, I was excited to see what kind of reward I would get. Maybe they'd let me eat ice cream. I almost started drooling at the thought.

"Next heat, line up!" someone yelled through a megaphone.

I swallowed a huge breath of air and went to stand in my lane. I looked down at my feet, my bandaged ankle, and my shaking knees. I would get through this, even if it killed me. Only a few more races, and I would be able to back out.

I didn't expect myself to get to the very end, not when this was my first time competing professionally.

The sounds around me faded, like they had in my first race. For the time being, it was only me and the track and the clock. That was it. I would imagine a huge bucket of ice cream at the finish. That would help.

The gun went off and I took off after the reverberating sound. I didn't know how fast I was supposed to run. Natsume and Ruka hadn't made me do a time trial. I had to guess.

At first, I thought that I was going too fast, but then I heard the heavy breathing around me and knew that I was going at the right speed. My eyes glazed over as I dug my feet into the track.

As planned, I imagined the ice cream.

Yummy.

I tried to keep my thoughts on the race as I got to my second lap.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what happened. One minute I had the perfect speed, and the next I was stumbling, big time.

My ankle gave out, and my leg wobbled. I lurched forward, landing on my other leg. But as soon as my injured foot hit the ground again, I stumbled again.

The pain was unbelievable.

My eyes started to cloud up, but I regained my step. I was behind.

Gritting my teeth, I swallowed the pain with a quick breath of air and went all out in that last two hundred meters. My thighs burned to a point where I wanted to cry, and my lungs begged for the air that they were lacking.

I pulled up, passing one person, two people, three… I was only a stride behind the person in second when I passed the finish line.

That was when I burst into tears. I slowed to a walk and then started to pace in circles, covering my mouth with one hand and keeping weight off of my ankle. I was utterly disappointed in myself.

_You stupid, weak, worthless girl, _I thought in frustration. _What was that supposed to be?_

Knowing that I couldn't put off the storm for too long, I turned, head bowed, and limped back to the stands, where Natsume would be waiting to start screaming at me.

I'd been right about the screaming, but totally wrong about the reason.

"What the hell was that?" he shouted, putting his hand on my back and leading me over to a bench.

I was just opening my mouth to apologize when he continued.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me your ankle was bothering you?" He sat me down and crouched down in front of me. He ripped off my shoe roughly and began to prod and poke at my wrapped ankle.

I tried to steady my voice. "It wasn't," I insisted, wiping my eyes. That proved pointless when more tears came. "It just started hurting in that last lap."

He called to someone over his shoulder to bring me ice.

Ruka came running up. "What happened?"

"Her ankle," Natsume replied. "She must have stepped on it wrong."

Ruka sat down beside me. "It's okay, Mikan," he said, patting my back. "That was a great comeback. There's still the possibility that you had a top time. Are you going to be okay to race tomorrow, or do you want us to pull you out?"

I threw my face into my hands and cried. I didn't care who was watching. I couldn't help it. "I'm so stupid!"

"Stop it," Natsume growled, "before I hurt you."

I stopped talking, but I continued crying.

"Mikan!" Anna was suddenly in front of me, her hands on my legs. She nearly body-checked Natsume out of the way. "Are you okay? How's your foot? Do you need a hug?"

They speed at which she spoke made me sort of laugh, but through my sobs it sounded a little funny. "It's okay," I managed to say, though my voice cracked pathetically. "I'm so out."

Anna snorted. "Are you kidding? You definitely got a top time," she said confidently.

I wiped my eyes and looked up at her, raising my eyebrow.

"Well, Ryo just told me not ten seconds ago that I had the fourth best time, and you were only, like, a couple milliseconds slower than that, even with your stumble. That means that there's no possible way that you can be out, because there's only one heat left." She patted my leg. "If you hadn't stumbled, I can pretty much guarantee you would have gotten the top time, or come in second, right behind the top time."

The gun went off, and we both watched as the remaining heat raced. I watched the athletes, whereas Anna's eyes were glued to the clock. I was watching their feet, watching how they stepped each step carefully, gracefully.

Next time I would remember not to imagine the ice cream.

"See!" Anna said excitedly, pointing at the clock. "The best time for that heat isn't even close to being as good as yours and mine."

Ruka came back over to confirm that. "You have the fifth best time, out of eighteen, even with that little accident. I don't know what you were getting yourself so worked up about. You and Anna are probably going to snag a spot in the top six, too, and move on."

Fantastic. More running, more Natsume, and more getting molested. Well, maybe not any more molestation, since he'd be a married man in less than a week.

"Let's get you home," Ruka said. "We'll be back the day after tomorrow."

"Thanks for the comfort, Anna," I said as I stood, waving off Natsume's help. "I'll see you the day after tomorrow."

She grinned. "You sure will."

"Alright, let's go." Ruka pulled his car keys out of his pocket. "Hotaru will be waiting for us."

Natsume held my elbow as I hobbled along after them. "You're going to soak this, and then you're going to sleep."

"Sounds like a hell of a plan."

He practically threw me in the backseat, sort of in frustration. I just assumed that the frustration was for my poor performance.

Hotaru was already there, sitting in the shadowed back seat. "Have a nice trip?"

Ruka looked at her sharply in the rearview mirror, but I laughed. "It was great, thanks."

Her lips curved a little, but she said nothing more.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" I asked the two men sitting in the front.

"Relaxing," Natsume replied. "You have semis the day after tomorrow, and finals the day after that. We're not going to train you until this round is over."

That sounded nice, and I liked how he just assumed I was going to be in finals.

My eyelids were drooping the whole ride back to the hotel, and Hotaru half dragged me to my room, where she helped me out of my running clothes and into my pajamas. I was barely aware of her tucking me into bed.

Soaking my ankle could wait until morning.

* * *

I don't know what time I woke up at, and I didn't bother checking. My ankle throbbed, and the light pouring in through the curtains made my eyes hurt. I squinted, staring at the white ceiling, wondering why it looked so far away.

I found out soon after that it was because I was lying on the ground.

My stomach grumbled, and I groaned, sitting up. The sheets were tangled around my feet, bending my ankle awkwardly, hence the throbbing. I gritted my teeth and kicked the sheets away before pushing myself slowly to my feet and cautiously stepped on my throbbing foot.

It didn't hurt nearly as bad as I'd prepared myself for, and, pleased, I smiled. This meant that I could probably still race in the semis and not have to worry about tripping over my own feet because of a little pain.

In a second and a half of standing there, I decided that I would prepare myself for the pain that I knew I would probably feel at some point during my next race and that way I wouldn't be shocked and I would be able to keep running.

I crinkled my nose at the thought of Natsume's order yesterday, about how he'd told me that if my ankle started hurting, I should stop.

Thinking about it now, I couldn't decide whether that was an innocent show of concern for my health, or whether he knew I would feel the pain and had expected me to stop, like he'd ordered, because he wanted me out of this competition. The truth hit me like a slap to the face, and it stung.

Was that why he'd been frustrated? Because I hadn't stopped?

No, Natsume wasn't like that. He may be an arrogant, self-centered, indecisive bastard, but there was no way that he would do that.

Or would he?

Shaking my head, I glanced at the clock beside the bed and frowned slightly when I saw that it was six o'clock AM. It was very strange and somewhat unnerving to be up this early. What was the world coming to?

I sat down on the edge of the bed and pursed my lips. After a minute and a half of pondering my choices, I settled for the one that would let me think without being disturbed.

Half in a trance, I changed out of my pajamas and into the red and white polka-dotted bikini that I still had from Hotaru and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I tried not to look at myself in the mirror. It was something I tried my best to avoid all the time, since it hurt me to be able to easily count my ribs, to see my knobby knees and elbows and my unnaturally thin legs. My collarbone stuck out too far, and my shoulders were far too bony.

I had to admit that this was nothing compared to how I had looked before Natsume had come knocking on my door. Maybe it was for the best, doing this competition thing, the best for me and my mom. Would quitting do anything for us? Wouldn't that just send us back into financial hell? Could I really do that to my mom?

Sighing, I spit the foamy toothpaste out of my mouth and rinsed with water. I wiped my lips with a hotel towel and then grabbed a clean towel from the closet to take with me to the pool. I double checked to make sure I had my card key in my purse and then I left the room, closing the door softly behind me, hoping that Natsume or Hotaru didn't hear.

I slouched as I walked to the elevator, and kept my distance from the man in a T-shirt and shorts on the way down the first floor. He didn't seem particularly nosy, but maybe he didn't recognize me. That was nice, not being hoarded my questions by people that I just happened to come in contact with, as if my picture in magazines and newspapers wasn't enough.

I stepped off the elevator before the man and sped walked down the halls, keeping the towel pressed to my abdomen to hide my visible ribs. My bare feet made quiet slapping sounds on the tiled floor that echoed off the walls and back into my ears ten times louder, making me jump. My ankle throbbed with each step I took, but it was bearable.

The pool was almost empty, except for a couple making out in the hot tub and an old man swimming in the slow lane. That was okay, because that meant I could swim in the medium lane without any disruptions.

Carefully, I let my body drop into the shallow end of the pool and pulled an elastic off of my wrist, pulling my hair back and on to the top of my head. Shivering a little, I dove forward, enjoying the feeling of the cool water slipping across my body.

Each time I kicked my foot, pain shot up my leg, but I swallowed it, shutting the tears out of my eyes. I only got to the deep end before I had to force myself to stop and hold onto the edge, taking gasping breaths as I waited for the pain to leave.

But it didn't. If anything, it got worse.

Maybe swimming wasn't such a hot idea.

I was too determined – and stubborn, since I knew that this activity probably wouldn't sit well with Natsume – to stop, now that I was wet. So I did something drastic, that was almost going to guarantee sore arms in the morning.

I swam without using my legs at all, only using my arms in wide, powerful strokes. I only got four slow laps done before I had to stop and catch my breath.

I started to pull myself up onto the edge of the pool, suddenly feeling very drowsy, when someone spoke.

"Who said you could be down here this early?" The voice's lack of emotion was easily identified.

I squealed in surprise and fell back into the water, the words, "Mother of pearl," swallowed up with the chlorine water.

My heart in my throat, I splashed my way back to the surface and grabbed the edge of the pool again, glaring up at the disturber of my peace. "Hotaru, what the heck are you doing up?"

"I should be asking you the same," she replied dully, looking down at her wet pajama pants and then glaring back at me. "You are way too jumpy."

"How'd you know I was down here?"

She rolled her eyes. "Where else would you be?"

"Sleeping?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I heard you leave your room."

"Oh." I pulled myself up onto the edge, sitting down and leaving my legs dangling in the water. "I was just about to go back to bed, actually. I suddenly got tired while I was swimming. I'm just going to soak my ankle in the hot tub first."

She nodded. "If you're any longer than fifteen minutes there will be hell to pay." She walked off briskly, her back too straight and her legs too stiff, as if she was reluctant to leave me on my own.

I smiled a little at the thought as I limped towards the hot tub, which was now empty. I sank into the scalding water and leaned my head back, staring at the ceiling. I glanced at the clock out of the corner of my eye, and saw that it was quarter to seven. Next thing I knew, I was closing my eyes, and when I opened them again, there were four other people in the hot tub, the old man from the slow lane included.

It was seven o'clock.

Cursing, I shot to my feet, the pain in my foot barely there. I lunged out of the hot water, and then my vision blacked out, and I stumbled, my arms searching for something to grab. They found an arm, an arm with tight muscles and a familiar feel to them.

I waited impatiently for the fuzzy gray squares to leave my vision so that I could see if this person was who I thought it was, but it took longer than necessary, and I felt my stomach surge in panic.

But then the uncomfortable blindness dissolved and I could see again, and, as I'd feared, I was staring up at Natsume's perfect face. Instead of it being completely blank, he looked a little angry.

I flinched. "What?" I mumbled.

"You fell asleep in the hot tub," he stated.

I shrugged. "So?"

He scowled at me, grabbed my knobby elbow, and then pulled me after him. When I failed to keep pace with him, he turned, grabbed my waist, and slung me over his shoulder.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, pounding my fists on his back. "Put me down!"

He didn't put me down until we were in the elevator, just the two of us. I stumbled back into the wall and glared hard at him, and he glared back.

"I fell asleep. Big freaking deal!"

"It is a big deal," he growled. "You're _my _athlete. I have money, and you know very well that there are people out there who will go through great lengths to get my money using people like you."

My mouth moved but no words came out. He was referring to the time I'd been kidnapped by very unprofessional kidnappers. Just the thought of it made me shudder, but not because I'd been scared for myself.

I dreamt about that night, dreamt about flying through the windshield, over Natsume's crushed car. He shouldn't have even been involved. He shouldn't have gotten hurt, but he did. I'd had the situation under control, and if I'd acted just a second sooner, I wouldn't have to live with the memory of seeing his car crumple and hearing the glass shatter.

"Oh," I said, for lack of a better word.

"Go back to bed. You can sleep 'til ten, and then you're getting up." He walked down the hallway in his bare feet, and I followed timidly behind. My towel and purse were sitting in the hallway by my door.

Before Natsume had a chance to disappear into his room and do whatever he wanted to do to Luna, I stopped him, staring at him with a look of guilt written on my face, though I tried my best to hide it. I felt like a ghost in the middle of the hallway, empty.

"I'm sorry for not stopping yesterday," I said quietly. "I didn't realize you wanted me to lose." I picked up my purse and towel, took my key out of my purse, and slipped into my room, giving Natsume no chance to either confirm or dismiss my theory.

I got up at ten, and then spent the day bumming around. Hotaru and I got lunch at the diner downstairs, and then she went out with Ruka and I started to make an escape back to my room, but I saw Luna and Natsume walking down the hall to the diner. I darted into the bathroom and waited for them to pass before continuing on my way.

I avoided my back stabbing coach as much as possible, which was all the time. When he knocked on my door, I didn't answer, and when he called my cell phone, I ignored it. He didn't knock my door down or anything, so that was good, and he got Ruka to come and give me last minute coaching for tomorrow's race.

Seeing that he obviously wasn't trying very hard to find out what had gotten me upset, I assumed that my assumption was right.

I thought about forfeiting, but then decided that I would keep to my word, even if Natsume didn't keep to his. I would try my hardest to win, and I would see where that took me.

I ordered room service that night and put on a cheesy romance film. I fell asleep watching it, and when I woke up in the middle of the night, I saw that the TV had been turned off, though I was too tired to try and think of who might have been able to get into my room.

In the morning, Hotaru woke me up by banging loudly on my door. Feeling sluggish and not in the mood to run, I pulled myself out of bed and lazily got ready for my race, pulling on a pair of sweats and a track jacket on over top of my spandex shorts and shirt.

The ride to the track was silent. I was squashed between Hotaru and Luna in the back seat, and once again, Luna and I ceased to bicker. Once, she reached over and dusted a fluff off of my sweatpants. I silently thanked her, oddly moved by the action.

There was something on her beautiful face that said that she was exasperated. It was almost as if she was regretting doing something.

My legs felt like jelly by the time we arrived at the track. Luna and Hotaru headed for the stands, and Ruka and Natsume took me to the side of the track, Natsume a few steps in front of Ruka and I.

It didn't take long to get everything done and over with. I placed in the top three for the semis, and went back to the hotel without uttering a word to Natsume, whereas Ruka gave me a congratulatory hug.

I took the rest of the night easy, and then went to bed early, waking up at roughly the same time to Hotaru pounding on my door again. I slowed it down a bit for the finals, and placed fourth, which sent me to the next round. Anna got the sixth time, the last time that advanced. We danced around a little, excitedly, and then Ruka gave me a pat on the back and Natsume gave me a solid nod, but nothing more.

* * *

I was so happy to be going home, I didn't expect to have the most terrifying and real experience of my life.

We arrived back at the airport at nine o'clock PM that night. Luna's father came to pick her up so that Natsume and Ruka could take me to a dinner for congratulations or something, but that's only what they told her.

Ruka and Hotaru left in Ruka's car, leaving me to go with Natsume. I thought about walking, but then decided that avoiding my problems wasn't the way to go, so I got into the passenger seat next to Natsume in his new, expensive sports car.

Natsume turned the engine on and backed out of his parking space. I rested my head against the window, letting my eyelids droop. Halfway back to my house, he broke the deafening silence.

"What were you talking about the other day?"

"What other day?" I replied with a yawn.

"The day before semis, when I brought you back from the pool," he said forcefully. "What were you talking about?"

I shrugged. "You tell me."

He looked over at me, his expression showing something along the lines of indecision, once again. He was confused about something, but I, frankly, didn't _want _to care. "That's the thing. I have no idea what you were rambling about, Polka."

I sighed. "Really, now?"

His grunt told me that he was serious.

"You obviously don't want to train me anymore," I said, rolling my eyes. "I don't see why you don't just fire me. Maybe because that'll do something bad to your reputation and then you won't get athletes, so you want me to lose on purpose so that it'll look like it was just my flaw, not your arrogance." Saying it out loud made it make so much more sense.

My house was just up ahead, and I knew that he knew that I was planning on making an escape as soon as he pulled up in front of my door, so he slammed on the brakes, throwing me against the seatbelt.

Stopped in the middle of the road, he looked over at me.

Nervously, I looked over my shoulder to see if there was anyone coming, but aside from the streetlights, the road was dark.

"What are you thinking?" he asked me roughly.

"I-I don't know," I stuttered helplessly. "I don't know what I'm thinking at all. I don't know how to take it when you kiss me, or how to take it when you kiss Luna, or any of that kind of thing. It just makes no sense." I looked at him expectantly. "Will you please tell me what I mean to you?"

He smirked a little, but otherwise, his expression was mysterious. Very, very slowly, as if not to make sudden movements, he unbuckled his seatbelt so he could lean across the gearshift and put his hand on the back of my neck.

This wasn't like any of the other times he'd kissed me. He wasn't trying to eat my face. He was giving me the choice to pull away, but as much as he confused me, I needed this as an answer.

His lips met mine, and I couldn't help but notice how perfectly they fit with his. The hand that wasn't on my neck unbuckled my seatbelt, and still slowly, he pulled me as close as I could get to him without sitting on his lap.

This was the kind of kiss every girl dreamed of.

When he pulled away, I could barely breathe. "You and I might have very different opinions," he said softly. "I know what I want. Let that help you decide what you want."

I numbly opened the car door and stepped outside into the warm night, the warmth of his lips still on mine.

As I walked, I tried to think of what he could have meant when he said that he knew what he wanted. Did that mean he knew he wanted Luna? Or did he know he wanted something else?

His car's wheels screeched on the ground as he spun it around and took off back the way we'd come.

I groaned, smacking my forehead with my palms. Why couldn't he just give me a straight answer for _once_?

I didn't remember much of that night. I remembered walking in the door of the hole in the ground I called a house, and I remember turning on the lights, surprised to see a man at the table with my mom, his back to me.

Only seconds later, when I stepped one foot forward, I realized that my mom's face was streaked with tears of fear, and that her eyes silently warned me to turn around and run back out of the house. At that same moment, I saw the gun the man held in my mom's direction.

I didn't have a chance to react, because as soon as I started to lunge for him, I felt something make contact with the side of my head, and nothing more.

I'd often found myself wondering what I was getting myself into by becoming a famous person's athlete. I hadn't expected to get hurled into a world of steamy kisses, aching jealousy, and kidnappings at gunpoint. I hadn't expected to be gagged and thrown in the back of a big van, much like my first kidnapping experience. I hadn't expected to have my hands bound behind my back at an impossible angle that had me surprised that my arms weren't breaking.

But most of all, I hadn't expected to be hoping that I _wouldn't _get found by the person I was most likely to wish to get saved by.

If Natsume was the one that saved me, not only would his anger terrify me, but I didn't know how well he would take having his athlete's safety jeopardized like that. It was bad for his image.

I was on the brink of unconsciousness, drifting in a deep sea of black, only vaguely aware of the voices around me.

"How much do you think he'll give?"

"A lot."

"What makes you so sure?"

"I've heard things about the two of them." The voice was rough and would have sent shivers of my spine if I'd been capable of the action.

I wanted to tell them that it was useless, that he probably wouldn't give anything. Natsume wasn't like that. He didn't let other people boss him around and tell him what to do.

Whatever was in my mouth had a foul taste to it, and I would have gagged if I were completely conscious.

What had they done with my mom?

My head pounded and my legs throbbed. My arms were the worst, feeling like they were being pulled in abnormal directions.

I drifted, and when I woke up again, this time fully, I was alone, in this cool van. If it had been any cooler outside, I'd be shivering.

I groaned a little and rolled onto my side, squeaked when that hurt a lot. But lying on my back on top of my arms was much worse, so I forced myself onto my stomach, doing a face plant on the wooden floor. The obstruction in my mouth was too difficult to get out, so I left it and tried fiddling with my wrists.

..

Natsume was in his car, headed down the empty road, already half an hour from Mikan's house, when his cell phone started ringing. He frowned when he didn't recognize the number on his caller ID, and answered the call.

"Yeah?"

"Natsume?" It was the frantic voice of Mikan's mother. "Natsume, it's me, Mikan's mom."

Her panic made his pulse accelerate.

"Some guys came and took her. They had guns and they hit her on the head."

He gave her no chance to say more. He ended the call, tossed the phone onto the passenger seat, and took a sharp left, heading towards the police station.

..

I somehow managed to get onto my knees, though the task was grueling and nearly impossible. Once I was on my knees, I shuffled over to the wall and used is as an aid to stand up. As soon as I was on my feet, however, I felt lightheaded, and went crashing back down.

..

"Kidnapped?" the officer said gruffly. "When did you receive this call?"

"Ten minutes ago," Natsume replied curtly. "Don't go to her house. They might be watching."

"We need more information than that."

As if on cue, Natsume's cell phone started ringing. This number wasn't the same as the one Mikan's mom had reached him with. He had a feeling he already knew who it was.

"Where is she?"

"Hello, Natsume," the man said slyly. "Mikan is being held in a very unlikely place. We'll keep her alive if you leave fifty grand at the 45th Street bus stop tomorrow at noon." He hung up without further said.

Natsume scowled and threw the phone onto the police officer's desk. "They want a ransom."

"How much?"

"Fifty grand."

"Can you supply it?"

His scowl became more pronounced. "He said they'd keep her alive, not that he'd give her back. They don't get anything."

..

I tried to stand again, but stopped when I was on my knees. I didn't want to cause myself any more damage than I probably already had.

I tried to scream, but the gag in my mouth muffled the sound. It was then that I noticed the blood on the ropes binding my hands, and then that I noticed the sting on my wrists. The rope was sawing through my skin.

Infection could be just around the corner for me, and what that would lead to, I had no idea. I needed to find some way to notify _someone _where I was.

The windows at the back of the van had been painted over with black paint, so that was out, and there were no other possible ways to be seen. Would I just have to wait for the police to find me?

There was no telling when that would be.

..

"I'm not going to waste time sitting here," Natsume hissed, standing up. "You bastards need to do your job and find her before I do."

"Mr. Hyuuga, you'll need to stay here," the officer said.

"Not if you're going to sit around and do nothing."

"What do you suggest we do?"

That had him stumped, so he sat back down in the hard chair and waited for his cell phone to ring, waited for someone to tell him that she was okay.

..

I was not okay. I was panicking. I was whimpering. I was on the verge of breaking down. If I didn't get out of here within the next hour, I was ready to beg them to kill me.

..

He knew her too well. He knew that she wouldn't want to hurt anyone with this. He knew that she didn't want to get saved if that meant someone else would pay the consequence. He knew that she would rather die.

And he would have none of it.

..

It was then, lying on the floor of this van, twisted and in pain, did I realize that he was the only person I wanted to see. Did this mean that I loved him? Or did it simply mean that I missed him?

I couldn't love him. In less than a week, he would be married, and I would be nothing but his athlete.

Or did he want me to stop his wedding? A straight answer was the last thing he'd give me.

..

The call came two hours after she'd been kidnapped. It was Ruka's cell phone, but Hotaru's voice.

"She's at the track, in a white van. Go now."

He didn't have a clue how she did it, but he didn't doubt her judgement. Without a word to the officer, he darted out of the room and out of the building, to his car where he could still faintly smell her perfume, the one Hotaru had given her.

Those bastards were going to pay for messing with him.

..

I tried to fall back to sleep, in hopes that I would wake up and find that this was all just an awful dream. But the pain was too sharp, too real, and I knew that I was doomed. I might as well say goodbye to the world now. Natsume wouldn't pay a ransom. I was as good as dead.

It was pleasant that the last memory I had of him was that soft kiss, the one giving me the choice, instead of leaving it up to him.

My stomach fluttered and I gagged when I smelled cigarette smoke. Someone was out there.

..

The track came into view and he stopped the car silently. There were two more vehicles in the lot, one a van and the other a pickup truck. There were four people in the tail of the pickup truck, all with cigarettes in their mouths, puffing away.

Another car pulled up behind his, and he saw Ruka and Hotaru, watching him. They probably expected him to blow a gasket.

He stared at the backs of the men in the truck for a total of three seconds before kicking the door of his car open and moving swiftly across the parking lot, unnoticed by the other men.

..

I heard another car outside the van somewhere.

_This is it, _I thought wearily. _They're coming to kill me._

..

Natsume hopped up onto the tail of the truck and pulled one man over the edge. He fell to the ground with a sickening crack, and the other three jumped into action, whipping out guns and knives and advancing on him.

But no one stood a chance when he was angry.

Two more went down, and the last only had a chance to pull the trigger once before he lost balance and tumbled backwards onto the ground.

..

I jumped at the sound of the gun. _What's going on? Kill me if you're going to kill me._

..

The bullet lodged itself in the floor of the pickup. Satisfied, Natsume hopped down from the truck and nearly ran over to the van. The front doors were locked, and the handle of the back doors had been pulled off.

..

I could hear them fiddling with the door. This was the end.

Or, at least that was what I thought until I heard the familiar voice call out, "Natsume, here!"

..

Natsume took the crowbar from Ruka and stuck it into the small crack of the doors just as the police cars and ambulances came racing into the parking lot. He put all of his anger into the crowbar and pried the door open.

..

I would have sat up, but I had no energy, and I was in no shape to deal with the pain. I just lay helpless on the floor, once again on my back, while the door flew open and the starlight flooded in, nearly blinding me.

And then he was at my side, pulling the gag out of my mouth and trying to decide how to untangle my body from the mess it was in.

"What happened?" he demanded, slipping his hand under my back.

I tried to speak, but my mouth was dry and my throat was sore. I whimpered instead when he jostled my arms.

"Sir, let the paramedics in," a police officer said from outside.

I would have shied away from him if I wasn't so sore, but Natsume saw my reluctance to trust any unfamiliar voice, and he looked over his shoulder.

"I got it. Give me a knife."

"Excuse me?"

"Her hands are tied." This time he spoke with frustration coating his tone.

"Talk, Polka," he demanded when he had the knife.

I couldn't. My voice was gone, locked away somewhere inside of me.

Tears sprang to my eyes when he lifted me further up, enough to cut the ropes from my wrists, and I suppressed a scream. I couldn't move my arms on my own accord, and they flopped down beside me.

It hurt.

"Talk, now," he said, gently pulling me onto his lap.

I started with a whisper. "What do you want me to say?" I managed.

The relief was evident in his eyes when he heard my voice. "That's enough."

"What happened to my mom?"

"She's fine."

My eyes widened a little. "I heard a gun."

"He had bad aim."

I buried my face in his shirt, satisfied. "Can I sleep?"

"Go for it."

The blackness was crawling up my legs, pulling me under. I felt my body grow heavy, but there was one last thing that I needed to say.

"Natsume, I think I love you."

I was too drowsy to really understand what his reply was, but I locked them in my head for further study, when I wasn't half asleep. "Good. How are you going to make it work, Polka?"

* * *

A/N: I'm not going to make any excuses for this late update. I'm going to give you the honest truth; writer's block. For some reason, My Hopeless Romantic's latest chapter of her story got me going again. :)

I'm sorry for the delay, I truly am!

xoxo

Ducky-san


	10. How Soon Is Now?

No, I don't own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

I'd never been in the hospital before, and I hoped that I'd never have to go back. The food, as I'd heard, was awful, and I often begged Hotaru to smuggle me food from home. I'd been lying in the same bed for four days. Today was my last day.

Ruka came in around ten thirty that morning. "Hey, superstar!" he said in a tone that made me smile. "Are you excited to get out?"

Hotaru stood upon his entrance and planted a kiss on his cheek. I didn't ask.

"Yeah," I said, stretching my ever-aching arms into the air. "What's the scoop on my next race?"

He grinned. "Natsume managed to bribe them to postpone it until you're fit to run. Don't bother asking me what he said. I don't have a clue."

I suppressed a flinch at the mention of Natsume. I hadn't seen him since the night he'd come to rescue me. I hadn't taken the time to ask why he hadn't come around, too terrified to hear the answer.

At night, his words from that night replayed endlessly in the back of my mind. _Good. How are you going to make it work, Polka?_ I honestly didn't have a clue what he was trying to hint to me. I'd told him that I loved him, and he'd said that. What was that supposed to mean?

"And here I was hoping I'd get out of it," I said with a laugh.

Hotaru sat back down in the chair that had been at my bedside since my arrival here, either occupied by her or my mom, who was at work today and wouldn't be around to visit. "Nice try, idiot. You're finishing this."

I sighed. "Sure, sure."

Ruka perched himself on the wooden arm of the uncomfortable chair. "You'll never guess what's going on with the wedding."

I frowned. They hadn't spoken about the wedding at all since I'd been here, and they barely spoke about Natsume.

Hotaru shot him a sharp glare, but he waved it off. "It's about time someone updated her on the life of celebrities." He turned back to me, his blue eyes bright. "Luna's been trying to put it off."

I tried to keep my mouth from dropping open, unsuccessfully. "What?"

"We have no idea why. The media is asking all sorts of questions, but she won't give them answers, and Natsume claims he knows nothing about it. But the thing is, their parents won't allow it. They're set on having that wedding to bind their companies in three days."

I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. "Well, that screws things up nicely."

Both Hotaru and Ruka raised their eyebrows.

"Never mind," I said flatly. I didn't want to have to explain anything to Ruka.

Truth be told, I wanted the wedding over and done with so that I could stop being so confused. I had no doubts that I would be overly upset about the whole thing, having let a great opportunity to be happy just slip through my fingers, but there were some things that I just couldn't stop.

"That's why Natsume hasn't visited," Ruka went on, snapping me out of my thoughts. "His dad won't let him. Believe me, he's _tried _to visit, and I think he's managed to get away a couple of times, but only at night when you've been sleeping."

My heart skipped a beat. That was just maddeningly unhelpful. I'd been trying to get him out of my head since I'd arrived here, knowing very well that there was very little that I could do to change what was going to happen. Way to ruin it, Ruka.

"Why don't you go get her something to drink?" Hotaru suggested in a cold voice. "She looks parched."

She had already brought me a full bottle of water. I was far from thirsty, but I could tell that she wanted to talk to me alone.

"Sure." He left the room.

I turned to meet Hotaru's violet gaze. "Yes?"

"I'll pick you up from your house tonight. Or I guess it's not really a house." She paused. "You and I have to talk about that, by the way."

I rolled my eyes. "Later. Where are we going?"

"I'll drive you to Natsume's mansion, and I'll tell you how to get to his room, but then you're on your own. You need to get things sorted out with him before the wedding."

Heat rushed to my cheeks and I had to look away. "Don't be ridiculous, Hotaru. He's my coach."

She snorted. "Haven't we been over this already? You're so obvious, Mikan. I know you're probably too naïve to realize that you actually do love him, but it's plain to the rest of us."

I looked down at my hands, folded together on my lap on top of the bland sheets. "No, I realize it. I don't really remember very well, but I think I told him I loved him just after he came into the van the other night. I'm trying to ignore it."

"You can't deny love, Mikan," she said fiercely. One of the few times I could hear emotion in her voice. "Since when do you give up on something just because the odds aren't in your favor? You have to stop the wedding, Mikan. You have to stop him from ruining his life, and from ruining yours."

Before I had a chance to reply, Ruka walked back in with a bottle of water in his hand. "Did I miss anything?"

* * *

It felt so good to be able to walk outside without worrying about walking back to the hospital. On top of that, my ankle felt amazing. There was no trace of a limp in my stride, and though my arms were still sore and my wrists burned from where the ropes had sawed through my skin, I felt like I could run a marathon.

My mom was still at work, so Hotaru and Ruka took me out for lunch, where I ate an amazing meal of steak and mashed potatoes. This was probably violating my diet, but Natsume wasn't around to nag on me.

Of course he wasn't around. He was with Luna.

No, he didn't love her. He couldn't, because he'd been giving me indirect hints that he wanted me to stop the wedding.

But _how_?

Ugh. Life was just too complicated.

Hotaru paid for lunch, and then she and Ruka bid each other goodbye. I got in Hotaru's car with her, and she announced that me and my mom would be sleeping at her apartment. I wasn't sure when she'd found time to buy an apartment, and now that I think about it, I was sure she must have had to return to her studies.

I decided to ask about it. "I thought you were only staying here for a little while. You're moving back?"

She nodded, leading me to the elevator of her building. It was huge and expensive, as was expected from Hotaru. "I'm not going to leave you to deal with all of this rich and famous people drama alone."

My lips pulled up into a smile. "Thanks."

"And someone has to be around to get photos inside the life of trainers Ruka and Natsume and growing athlete Mikan Sakura."

I slapped her arm.

She smiled a ghostly smile.

I tried not to think about what she was making me do later that night. I was mostly worried that his room would end up being very, very high up and I'd fall and break my neck or something awful on my way up. But I was also terrified of what he would say to me.

What if he told me that he'd been playing me the whole time? What if he'd done it just to get me to keep running in his stupid races? What if the only reason he saved me from my kidnappers the two times I'd been kidnapped wasn't because he cared but actually _was _because I made him loads of money?

I tried to think of how badly that would hurt, of how much I would cry, but I gave up after a minute, because even thinking about it tore my heart in two.

Could he do that?

I thought of the way that he had kissed Luna on the high jump mat that day at the track, and the way he had kissed me at the cabin before, and I knew that he probably could.

"This is my room, you obey my rules, and if you make a mess, I'll mess you up." Hotaru threw the door of her apartment open and stalked inside, barely giving me time to slip inside before slamming the door shut again. "You have five hours before I take you over to Natsume's house. Make the most of it."

I looked around the room in wonder. It was mostly open space, the only walls being the ones around bedrooms and bathrooms. The living room and the kitchen were just open space with blood red walls and hardwood floors. It was nice, and definitely newly made.

"I suggest a shower," Hotaru said, dropping her keys on the marble kitchen counter. "You smell like hospital."

I frowned and dropped my purse next to her keys. "Where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall. You can use my shampoo, but you're cleaning your own hair out of the drain."

Rolling my eyes, I walked in the direction she pointed and flicked on the light switch in the room at the end of the hallway. The bathroom, as expected, was huge. The walls were the same red color as all the other walls, the floor was black tile, and everything was polished to a sparkle.

I wondered briefly how she got all of this money only from taking pictures.

I closed the door behind me and began to peel off the pajamas I'd been wearing since my mom had brought them to me when she'd gotten the call from Ruka saying that Natsume had found me and that I was in the hospital.

I'd had two showers at the hospital, but the shower there was gross and they didn't have decent hair products. I found that Hotaru had expensive stuff, though that was no surprise.

The hot water pounding from the showerhead felt like a water massage to me, except on my wrists where it stung so bad that I almost screamed. I was sure that the water pressure might have been painful if I hadn't been in a hospital for four days, but now, the pellets of water that shot out worked the knots out of my back and eased all of my muscles.

The only downside was that, now that I was relaxed for the first time in awhile, I had a chance to think about anything but how miserable I felt.

Natsume's face flashed through my head, and I pounded my palms against my forehead. I could _not _think about him, because if I did love him, and if he really was just playing me, then I had to make it easier for myself, so it wouldn't hurt as much when he told me.

My attempts to rid his face and voice from my thoughts were impossible. Every time I thought I had it, and I thought of something else, those thoughts would just bounce right back to my obnoxious, hotheaded trainer.

I scrubbed shampoo angrily into my scalp.

Being in love with a celebrity sucked.

I snatched the bar of soap from the edge of the tub. As soon as the water hit the bar, it slipped from my fingers.

I stared blankly at the soap sliding across the bottom of the bath with a growing sense of irony. I remembered my mom telling me a quote once.

_Love is like a bar of soap; just when you think you've got it, it slips away._

I found myself laughing, sort of maniacally.

When I decided that I'd probably been in the shower for an hour, long enough for the skin on my fingers to shrivel like raisins, and when I was sure that staying without company much longer might make me insane, I climbed out of the hot water.

Hotaru had left a pile of clothes outside of the bathroom door. They all still had tags on them, and I felt my lips turn up into a smile.

The smile didn't go away until I saw what it was that she'd bought me.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, clad in very short jean shorts that barely covered my butt and a yellow tank top that was a little too low-cut.

My eyes flickered to the pink bands around my wrists, and I felt the memories of the night flash back to me. I barely remembered details, but I could still clearly recall the pain I'd felt in my arms, the hole in my chest that I had when I'd thought of never telling Natsume that I loved him, or never saying goodbye to Hotaru, my mom, and Ruka.

Tears welled in my eyes. I blinked, and they escaped from my eyes and streamed down my cheeks.

Was that something anyone ever forgot? Would the memories fade with time?

Unlikely. That night was branded into my memory, almost as badly as my first kidnapping was. But the difference was that I hadn't been scared for myself at all the first time I'd been kidnapping.

I thought of the sound of Natsume's car crumpling under the impact of the white van, recalled as I flew through the windshield and over the broken mess of glass and metal…

I stepped out of the bathroom, shaking my head viciously. I couldn't think of that. I couldn't scare myself more.

Hotaru was on one of the white leather couches in the living room, eating something that looked like fish and watching some photography documentary on the flat screen TV.

I flopped down beside her and released a heavy sigh. "You're rich and famous. Why don't you ever get kidnapped?"

She gave me a skeptical glance. "One, people kidnap rich peoples' friends and family, not the rich people themselves. Two, a kidnapper wouldn't last ten minutes with me before they were dead."

There was a note of truth in that, which was frightening.

"Your mom will be coming over later tonight, after I take you to Natsume's," she said, turning her attention back to the television. "I'll pretend you're sleeping in your room."

I shrugged. "My mom won't mind if I'm at his house for a bit."

"If things go well, you will not be welcome back into my house tonight."

I gaped at her. "I'm seventeen! He's nineteen."

"It's only two years difference," she said, dismissive.

"I'm not sleeping with him!" I growled.

"We're not arguing about this."

"He's getting married!"

"Because he has to, not because he wants to." She stuffed a piece of fish in her mouth. "Besides, just because you sleep with him doesn't mean you have to have sex with him or anything, though I'm sure that's what you want."

I slapped her arm. "Don't even go there!"

She shrugged.

Rolling my eyes, I wrapped my arms around myself and sat back into the soft couch, careful not to rub my wrists against anything. Sleeping freely on a bed when I wasn't connected to tubes might result in me thrashing around. I would have to bandage my wrists tonight.

I sat on the couch for an hour with Hotaru, or until she warned me that I only had three hours left. I could have sworn she'd been counting the seconds in her head, because I didn't see her look at a clock.

I went to blow dry my hair and do my makeup before asking Hotaru where I would be sleeping so that I could go and lay down for a couple of hours.

The room was an average room, nothing special, except for the massive bed in the center of the room that had the comfiest mattress I'd ever dreamed of sleeping on. I was out cold in matter of minutes.

* * *

"Idiot, time to get up." Hotaru shook me awake.

I peeled my heavy eyelids open and saw that the time on the clock said that it was almost ten o'clock. A glance out the window told me it was dark out, and I understood that it needed to be dark to ensure that I didn't get caught sneaking around.

"Right, I'm coming, against my will." I climbed reluctantly out of bed and scrambled out of the door after her.

"You've really got to stop drooling," she told me as she slipped a pair of flats on. "Guys don't usually like girls that drool all over their pillows."

"I'm not sleeping with him!" I insisted, sliding my flip-flops onto my feet.

"Is that you being stubborn or are you saying you don't think it's going to go well?" She pocketed her keys, handed me my purse, and then opened the door.

"Both. How can it possibly go well? I'm sneaking into his bedroom. He's probably not even going to be there."

"Trust me, he'll be there."

"If he's fooling around with Luna when I get there, I'm going to do a dive off the roof, and I hope you'll be happy when I snap my neck and die." I folded my arms over my chest as I followed her down the hallway.

"Relax. He won't be with Luna."

"What makes you so sure?" I demanded, and then I paused. "Is he expecting me? God, Hotaru, if he's-"

"He's not expecting you, either," she said impatiently. "That wouldn't be fun at all."

"Of course this is all about fun to you," I grumbled as the elevator surged down. "You don't care how humiliating this is going to be for me."

She glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes. "It won't be humiliating." She sounded so sure that I almost believed her, but not quite. "I wouldn't do that to you."

I thought about it, and then said, "Yes you would."

She unlocked the passenger door of her car first, and I climbed in while she unlocked the drivers' side and climbed in. "You're right, I probably would, but not for something as serious as your future."

I stared at her in disbelief for a minute, and then turned to stare out the windshield, taking on the unhappy expression of a kid being force to go to church. She folded her arms across her chest again to add to the expression.

"Stop pouting," Hotaru scolded after a little while of driving in silence. "You'll thank me later."

"I doubt it," I replied dryly. "This can _not _turn out well."

"Why?"

Because I love him and I'm beginning to believe that he doesn't love me, I wanted to say, but I just shrugged indifferently and kept silent.

My heart started to beat oddly when Hotaru pulled into a gravel driveway lined with huge spruce trees that blocked my view of everything except what was behind us and what was in front of us.

"I can't believe I'm actually doing this," I grumbled.

It was dark outside, and Hotaru had to shut the headlights off so that no one in the house knew we were there. She stopped a great distance away from the lighted mansion at the end of the drive.

"On the left side of the house, there's a deck," Hotaru said hurriedly. "Climb up onto the railing and swing yourself up onto the overhang in the roof. It's not a far distance. Then you're going to need to climb up the wall on those crisscrossing wood things that I can't remember the name of right now, and-"

"Lattice?" I asked.

"Yes, lattice. Now shut up and let me finish. On the right side of that, there's another overhang, and Natsume's window is right there. Don't fall, and avoid all windows except for his."

I scowled and climbed out of the car, popping my head back in once I was out in the cool night air. "And if it doesn't go well?"

"You won't have to worry about it not going well. Have a good night." She reached across the passenger seat and slammed the door shut, giving barely enough time to pull my head back.

I stalked angrily up the driveway. Of course she was leaving me alone while I did this. If I got caught, she didn't want to be around. If I fell and died, she didn't want to be around. If Natsume hated the sight of me, she didn't want to be around when he tossed me out of his window.

As much as her and her silly ideas made me angry, I had to admit that I _did _want to sort things out with Natsume.

I followed her directions carefully, finding that it was actually very easy. I wondered how she knew, and then decided that she probably took this route to get pictures of Natsume for her job. You'd think that he would do something about it if he saw his sleeping picture in a magazine.

Climbing up the final stretch to his window was the worst, because my wrists kept brushing the wall and sending pain shooting through my hands. A few times I almost lost my grip and took a deadly tumble.

Now, I stood on the overhang next to Natsume's window. I wasn't in front of it yet, but standing off to the side taking deep breaths to calm my racing heart. All of my fears kept coming back to me, and it took everything I had in me not to climb back down the way I had come and hitchhike home.

I bit my lip, shook my head, and then dropped to my knees and crawled in front of the window.

Peering inside, I could see that the room was huge. There was a bed on the far wall, right next to the door that was slightly ajar, and it had to have been a king-size. It was neatly made, and I assumed that they had maids here. Just in front of the window, to the right there was a closet, to the left and computer desk with a Mac sitting on it, and that was all I could see. The walls blocked the rest of my view.

The light from the room came from a bedside lamp, and it was enough to tell me that there was no on inside.

I sat back on my heels, contemplating my next move. Before I had a chance to decide between jumping off the roof or taking the much safer, slower climb back down, the door inside the room swung open.

Seeing his face after four days brought the memories of when he'd come to rescue me flooding back. Tears sprang to my eyes when I recalled how much I hadn't wanted him to come and get me, because I didn't want him to get hurt.

He didn't see me at first. He looked exasperated as he closed his door behind him and then peeled off his shirt.

I tried not to stare. I'd seen his naked upper body before, but it was still as enthralling as the first time.

Sighing, I knocked on the window.

I would have been extremely happy if that had scared him, if he had jumped and spun around, his eyes wild with fear, but I hadn't been expecting it. He turned his gaze slowly to me, his face now blank, and when he saw me at his window, one perfect eyebrow arched.

I shrugged.

Tossing his shirt onto his bed, he strode across the room to the window. He stared at me for a second, as is making sure I was actually there, and then he slid the window open and popped the screen out into my hands.

"What are you doing here?" As he spoke, he held out his hands to help me inside.

I hopped carefully inside, handing him the screen while I recovered. "Hotaru didn't give me much of a choice. She claimed that we needed to sort things out, and I guess I kind of agree with her."

He shut the window and then turned around, so fast that I stumbled back. Before I could fall, he caught my elbows, holding my arms up in front of his face.

I realized he was looking at the grooves around my wrists. Looking at his face, behind the usual blankness, there was fierce regret.

I pulled my arms back, wanting to get rid of that look. "Those are nothing."

He scowled. "You were kidnapped and bound and gagged and you can honestly say it was _nothing_?"

As much as his obvious concern made my heart fly, I didn't like it. He was blaming himself.

"Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" I folded my arms across my chest. "You and I need to talk, right now. Let's start with my confession of love to you that night, and your nonsensical reply."

He smirked; that was more like him, and it made me want to smile. "What do you think I meant?"

"I don't know!" I exclaimed, though I kept my voice down in case someone heard. "Nothing you say or do makes sense. One minute I think you love me, the next I think you love Luna."

The smirk didn't falter. "I don't love Luna."

I stared at him, uncomprehending. Then, with a start, I realized that this was as close as he was going to get to admitting that he loved _me_.

"Why didn't you visit?" My voice was almost a whisper now.

"I wasn't allowed. My father thinks I spend too much time with you and not enough time with my fiancée."

"You're _nineteen_. He has no control over you."

"When I'm in his house, he does. And I'm not allowed out of his house until I'm married." He paused. "But I did visit you."

I raised my eyebrows, remembering what Ruka had told me.

"Just because you couldn't see me doesn't mean I wasn't there." His smirk grew. "You drool when you sleep."

I scowled. "So this relationship is pretty much impossible?"

His smirk disappeared. "No."

"Well, you're getting married soon, and your dad doesn't give you a free will, and there's nothing we can do about that."

He stepped closer to me, his hands coming to rest on my arms, just below my shoulders. "There is something _you_ can do."

"Me?" It was hard to think with him so close, hard to think when I was resisting the urge to launch myself at him and never let go. "What am I supposed to do?"

"That's for you to know and for me to find out."

Then he kissed me, gentler than he had ever kissed me before, and tingles erupted throughout my entire body. It took everything in my power not to throw my arms around his neck.

Before I really had a chance to wrap my mind around the situation, I was on my back on his bed, and he was on top of me, still kissing me, and I had my fingers in his hair.

He pulled away for only a second, just to breathe. He was straddling my waist, on his knees. "You're not going home tonight."

"That's what Hotaru said," I agreed.

He brushed the side of my face with his hand, and then flopped down beside me, pulling me against him. "You need to sleep."

"Yes, I think you're right." I buried my face in the skin on his neck, breathing in the scent of him. "I'm not sleeping already, am I? This isn't a dream?"

I felt a sharp pain on my arm, and realized he had pinched me.

"Ouch," I mumbled.

"You're not dreaming."

I smiled absently, already feeling darkness pulling me under. "I love you."

I heard a mumbled reply, but couldn't imagine him echoing the same words back to me. That was just not like him. Still, my fingers dug into his bare chest as I let sleep have me.

And while I drifted, I planned.

That wedding would not happen, not over my dead body.

* * *

A/N: Ohmigosh. it's been a very long time, and i'm so very sorry for that. I had this huge, giant wall in my mind, also known as writer's block. This chapter was quite short. It's the second last chapter, so i'll try to make the last chapter much longer, but i don't know when i'm going to be able to start writing it. I still have one week left of school, which is mostly exams, and then I'm gone on vacation for a week, but i will TRY to get a chapter up when i get back. Anyway, i thank you all for your patience, and for all of the reviews! 333

xoxo  
Ducky-san


	11. Stilettos and Deep, Dark Holes

I don't own Gakuen Alice.

* * *

I woke up that morning with a very, very heavy weight of helplessness pushing down on my chest as I lay, staring blankly at the white ceiling, illuminated by the sunlight that filtered through the opening between the brown curtains of Hotaru's apartment. I didn't have the urge to cry, and I knew I wouldn't, not until I heard those words, words that I would forever dream he would say to me, but words that I would have to hear him say to someone else.

It was the morning of the wedding. Not on a cruise ship like I remembered Luna saying, but at a church, a twenty minute walk from the apartment I was in at this moment. This was the morning that Natsume would be gone from my life. I mean, he would still be my coach, but any hopes for me and him were gone. Just gone.

Luna's face flashed through my head, and I wondered briefly how I ever thought, for even a second, that I could compete with that. Natsume and Luna were two perfect people. Perfect people belong together, don't they?

At that moment, while I blinked up at the ceiling in attempt to rid my eyes of the blur of sleep, I made my decision.

I wouldn't attend the wedding. I would stick the invite that Ruka had passed on to me through the shredder, and I would go on with my life.

_I don't love Luna._

And maybe, with time, that would change, and we could both move on.

Sighing, I kicked the blankets back and sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I had some money from Natsume, that he'd given to my mom, and that she'd given to me, despite my protests. Today, I would shop, alone, and take my mind off of everything that I didn't want to think about.

Hotaru was up already when I walked into the living room. She was sitting on her white leather couch, staring at the TV – which wasn't on – with absolutely no expression on her pale face. She held a delicate teacup in one hand, just inches from her lips, and a matching plate in the other.

"Good morning," I said, more out of politeness than desire. I knew the look on her face, and I knew, even when there was no expression to read, that she was angry.

"You didn't tell me." Her voice was bland, but there was an edge to it, and it made me wince. Hotaru Imai didn't get angry, not unless it was big.

"Tell you what?"

"Don't play stupid with me, Mikan." She turned her frigid violet gaze on me, and it took everything in my power not to turn and run out of the room.

"I'm not. I don't know what you're talking about." I made sure that she knew that her eyes didn't intimidate me by tilting my chin up and folding my arms gingerly across my chest.

She placed her tea plate down on the antique coffee table, and, very gently, placed her cup on top of it. And then, with the grace of a cat, she stood and turned to face me. While her face remained controlled, she couldn't mask the anger that danced in those cold, cold eyes. "You've been living in that dump for two years."

I wondered briefly, how she hadn't figured it out sooner. But I stayed silent, unsure of what to say, of how to apologize, or unsure if I should even apologize at all.

"I left you here because I was sure you'd be fine. I was sure you'd both be fine." She took a step closer. That was a bad sign; Hotaru Imai did not often engage in closeness. "You didn't call me for help."

"You wouldn't help me," I said, and was so sure of myself that I had little doubt that Hotaru wouldn't believe me, too. "You love your money. I wasn't about to call you up and ask for it."

"I do love my money," she admitted in a monotone, "and I think that it was best that you didn't ask for help, but you need to think about your mother, too."

I frowned. "But that doesn't make any sense. If you think it's best that I didn't ask for help, then why are you mad at me?"

The corners of her lips pulled up in a faint, barely visible smirk. "One domino can't fall unless the one before it falls first." Then she picked up her tea, placed it in the kitchen sink, and disappeared into her room.

Okay, that was just strange, and it made no sense. I knew Hotaru was cold hearted and greedy. I knew that, most of the time, she seemed like she didn't care whether I lived or died. But she'd been genuinely concerned about mine and my mother's wellbeing just now. I'd been able to see it in her honest eyes. And yet, her closing remark made little sense.

I rolled my eyes at her use of riddles and spun on my heel, marching my way to the bathroom, where I locked myself in, turned on the shower, and proceeded to think while I stripped off my clothes.

Hotaru knew better than I did. She knew that, if I needed it, she would offer her help, no matter how cold and heartless she seemed about the matter, but she also knew that I could handle myself. And that life would happen as it would.

I had the potential to make more money than she did, courtesy of Natsume. I had the power to give myself and my mother a better life.

Now, the idea of ever backing out of my deal with my coaches seemed totally ridiculous and poorly thought out.

I washed my hair and spent half an hour blow drying it, and found that Hotaru had left a box for me on the bed in her spare bedroom. She, however, was nowhere to be found.

Still wrapped in a towel, I picked up the box and sat down on the edge of the bed with it on my lap, staring at it cautiously. Gifts from Hotaru weren't often good news. Deciding I didn't have much left to lose, I removed the lid, placed it on the bed beside me, and unfolded the tissue paper that concealed the object beneath.

I suppose I should have been expecting it, because the last thing Hotaru wanted me to do was skip out on the wedding, and if she was to be seen with me, she wanted me to look decent. But the dress I pulled out of the box staggered me.

It was white, sparkling like fresh snow on a cold night under the street lights or on a sunny day. The back dipped down dangerously low, and I assumed it would fall just above the tail bone. The bodice was tight, and the rest, from the waist to the knees, was loose.

In short, it was breathtaking.

Underneath the dress, were a pair of white heels, three inches high and just asking for a broken ankle.

The note that had been tucked under it was in Hotaru's neat handwriting.

_I'll be back to pick you up around noon. _

_Be ready, or I'll publish embarrassing photos of you and hand them out to members of the press at the wedding._

_Don't worry, I have tons._

_Hotaru_

Scowling, I folded the dress back up and placed it back in the box. She wouldn't blackmail me this time. There was nothing she could do to get me to attend that wedding, and sit there while the man I was pretty sure I was in love with promised himself to another woman.

If you could even classify _Luna _as a woman. More like monster. She took Bridezilla to a whole new level.

I dressed myself in the only pair of casual shorts and tank top that I ever seemed to wear, and grabbed my ratty purse from where I'd left it in the kitchen. Leaving the box with the beautiful dress on the bed, I left Hotaru's fancy apartment.

I knew I could do it. I was sure that I could let him go. It might take some time, but it would happen.

He was _nineteen, _for God's sake. I didn't understand why he couldn't just tell his dad that he would not, under any circumstances, marry Luna. Who the hell would go through with a marriage to a woman he didn't love, anyway?

As I stepped out of the building and into the rapidly building heat of the day, I thought of how Hotaru planned on getting me to go to the wedding, and considered that, maybe, Natsume was being blackmailed too.

Not a chance. I would never live to see the day that Natsume Hyuuga would allow himself to be blackmailed.

I wished, desperately, that life – for once – could be easy.

A muffled vibration against my ribs snapped me out of my thoughts and brought my attention to my phone, buried within my purse. I fished it out and flipped it open without glancing at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"You should be getting ready," Hotaru deadpanned.

I frowned, looking around and seeing nothing but tall buildings on either side of me. No cars were currently driving by. "I am," I lied.

"No, you aren't."

"How do you know?"

"Because the GPS on your phone says that you're walking in the opposite direction."

"There's a _GPS _on my _phone_? _Why?_"

"You're going to the wedding. Whether I have to kill you and drag your body there or not is up to you." The line went dead.

"Stupid Hotaru," I muttered, shoving my phone back into my purse. "You can't scare me."

But even as I said it, I felt the first tugs of doubt in my stomach. Maybe I _should _go, to show Luna that she couldn't get rid of me that fast, and to show Natsume that I wasn't weak.

Sighing, I forced my legs to continue forward, and managed to convince myself that I didn't have anything to prove.

There was an ice cream stand in the same park I remembered walking in when Hotaru had come down. Despite the early hour, a fat man stood behind the counter, looking bored.

_Oh, what the hell?_

"Two scoops of cookies and cream, please, on a waffle cone." I slammed down some money on the counter, startling the fat man.

"Hey, I know you. You're that runner, Hyuuga's girl." As he spoke, he reached under the counter and pulled out the waffle cone I'd asked for.

"Yes, sir." I refused to be moved by the 'Hyuuga's girl' part. "And he'll be furious if he finds out I'm violating my diet. Our little secret."

He chuckled. "Isn't he getting married today?"

"Yes."

"Weren't you invited?"

"Yes."

He scanned my attire, and then raised an eyebrow at me. "It's eleven o'clock."

I took the cone he offered. "Yes, it's eleven o'clock."

"Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

I held up my finger. "I said I was invited, not that I was going. I'm not a fan of weddings, and I don't really like dressing up. On top of that, Natsume is kind of a jerk, and his fiancée is a bitch, so I don't really have much reason to go."

The fat man studied me closely, and then smirked. "Ah, so you've fallen for Hyuuga's charms."

I'd been in the middle of slurping up a big mouthful of ice cream, but choked on it when he spoke. After a mild coughing fit, I looked up at him, astonished. "What?"

"I can see it all over your face. You're jealous."

I opened my mouth to argue, but then figured there was really no point. If someone who had met me only moments ago could tell that this whole ordeal was tearing me apart, then there was a problem.

"Okay, you're right. I'm jealous. Insanely. At first, I was absolutely determined to screw up that wedding, but then I remembered how perfect those two are. So I'm not going to that wedding. No chance in hell. And-"

The same vibrating I'd felt against my ribs before cut me off, and I gritted my teeth and dug through my purse for the second time. This time, I glanced at the caller ID, and saw that it was a restricted number. "Just a minute," I said to the ice cream man, and then flipped open the phone. "Hello?"

"Sakura, I swear to God, if you don't get that psycho bitch to stop blackmailing me to back out of the wedding, I will make _your _life living hell." Luna's voice was impossible not to recognize. Like nails on a chalkboard, it sent chills all the way down my back.

"You already have," I said dryly. "And if you want Hotaru to stop, _you _tell her and suffer the consequences."

Her hiss of frustration reminded me of a cat, ready to attack. "You better not show up here. This is it for you."

I sighed and closed the phone. "That was Luna," I said to the ice cream man. "She told me not to show up. You think I should?"

He snorted. "Well, yeah! She may be one hot chick, but Hyuuga will be missing out if he chooses her over you."

"Thanks." I shot him a smile over my shoulder as I walked off, ice cream cone in hand. "This is where I'll be coming to violate my diet from now on."

So Luna wanted to play? Oh, we'd play.

* * *

Hotaru was waiting for me at the apartment, sitting on the couch, staring at a white wall, her legs femininely crossed. She barely looked up upon my loud entrance.

"Where'd you run off to earlier?" I asked, kicking my shoes into the closet.

"I had things to do. I see you've changed your mind." She stood, and a ghost of a smile graced her lips.

"You knew I would." I started towards the spare bedroom. "I talked to the ice cream man for a bit, and Luna called. She wanted me to tell you to stop blackmailing her. And then the ice cream man told me to go for it. So here I am."

"I don't care what you did all damn day," she replied flatly, following me into my room. "We're going to be late."

"Better late than never. Is my mom going?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Thanks for the dress, by the way. It's gorgeous." I tossed the lid off the box and pulled out the sparkling dress, sighing in awe.

"And it's white." She stepped back out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her, muffling her, "I'll send a limo for you. I'm leaving."

"White," I mumbled, and understood. How nice. If Luna didn't like just seeing me, then I was going to have to be prepared to be taken down when she saw me in a white dress.

Rolling my eyes, I stripped out of my casual clothes and slid the silky material over my body. It clung in all the right places, flowed in all the others, falling to my knees and stopping there. As I stared at my reflection in the mirror, at my knobby knees and too-visible collarbone, my confidence just plummeted further.

How could he want me, when he had her?

Shaking my head, I pulled on the heels, grabbed my purse, and hobbled to the bathroom, where I freshened up before going to the front door.

"Oh, God," I muttered, grasping the doorframe for support. "These shoes are going to kill me."

I made it to the stairs, and miraculously, I made it down the stairs. Without tripping. Without snapping my ankles.

There was no limo waiting outside. Hotaru had left only five minutes before me, so I guessed it hadn't had a chance to arrive yet. Afraid I'd talk myself out of it if I waited, I turned down the sidewalk, heading in the direction I knew the church was in.

_One domino can't fall unless the one before it falls first._

When the answer finally hit me, terribly overdue, all I could do was stare at the pavement as I walked, dumbfounded.

If I had not been poor and living in that 'dump', as Hotaru referred to it as, then there was every chance in the world that I would not have been in the market that day, and that my bag of fruit would not have been swiped. There was every chance that I would not have taken off at a dead sprint after him, would not have narrowly avoided that kid on the bike by executing a more or less perfect high-jump style jump over that bar. There was every chance that that night, Natsume would not have come to my door.

Hotaru still believed that there was a chance for me to turn this thing around.

But the spurt of determination was roughly interrupted when a black SUV screeched to a halt not two feet in front of me, on the street I had been about to blindly cross.

The first alarm was set off when I realized that the black SUVs with tinted windows in the movies were always bad news. The second alarm went off when I remembered the speed of which it had approached me, and the preciseness when it had stopped. These people knew what they were doing.

And finally, the third alarm was set off when the back door flew open, and I found myself staring down the barrel of a gun.

"Get in the car," a man's voice rumbled.

Another kidnapping? Another attempt at Natsume's fortune?

But that theory was shot down, replaced by a much more frightening one, when I reluctantly climbed in the car and heard the shaded driver speaking on the phone.

"Yeah, we got her. She won't be getting away any time soon."

_Luna_. She really didn't want me at her wedding.

"Listen, guys, I can just-"

Being rational went out the window the moment the man in the back seat lashed out. The butt of the gun made contact with my temple, and a sharp pain in my shoulder was the last thing I remembered feeling before the lights went out.

* * *

A groan. Whose? Mine, maybe. I couldn't tell. I felt so far away, like my body didn't belong to me.

"Tie her up."

My hands were pulled behind my back. Ropes wound around my wrists where I knew they would forever be scarred from my earlier ordeal. Somehow, that kidnapping seemed so much less frightening than this one felt now.

"Her legs, too."

My ankles were bound. I couldn't make my body move. My eyes wouldn't open, my mouth wouldn't form words. All I could think about was Luna, and how much of a bitch she was to go _this _far.

"Give her another shot. Just to be sure."

"Don't," I think I said, but I couldn't be sure my voice was heard.

"She doesn't need another one."

"Damn rights, I don't." My voice seemed so far away. There was no way they could hear me.

"Did she say something?"

"No, she's just moaning. Luna would want us to give her another shot."

Hesitation, and then, "Alright, fine."

_Don't, don't, don't. Please don't._

Something poked my neck, a pin prick that, once again, felt far away. I waited for it to pierce my skin, but it didn't. I felt like I waited forever, but it never happened. And then, just when I thought they were going to let me go, a pinching pain may or may not have caused me to gasp, and I went spiralling back into the dark.

* * *

My head spun. Or ached. Or both. The feeling was too vague to know for sure.

"Oh, God." My throat was raw, my voice raspy. It hurt my chest to speak and made my head throb harder.

At first I thought that I was blind, but as the situation adjusted around me, I began to see just enough to make me realize that I was somewhere so dark I could barely, just _barely _see my hand in front of my face.

I almost asked the infamous, "Where am I?" question that people always asked in movies. But, unlike those people in movies seemed to, I was quite aware that no one would answer, and my throat hurt too bad to try.

Blindly, I felt along the ground. Dirty, earthy. I got very, very slowly to my feet. My legs felt like jelly beneath me, like they wouldn't support me for long. I stumbled in my heels until I hit the wall. Rough, dirty. I got a mouthful of grit.

Although it hurt my neck immensely, and my head even more, I looked up. I could see lights through cracks, like cracks in wood.

I was in a hole. In a deep, dark hole. The top, the light, was so far out of my reach that almost everything inside of me told me to sit down, close my eyes, and give up.

Except that one voice. That one voice that sounded like my mother, my father, and Hotaru all at the same time. That once voice in the back of my mind that told me I'd be stupid to give up when I'd gotten this far.

And then that voice transformed into Natsume's. Scolding. Mostly rude. _Mocking._

I cleared my throat. "Hello?"

Silence.

"Hey!" I managed with a little more volume; my voice was hoarse. "Are you serious? Did you seriously-" I coughed until my stomach hurt, "-drug me and dump me in a hole you dug _just _to keep me away from that wedding? How crazy does Luna think I am?"

No answer, which really didn't surprise me.

I reached for the dirty wall and leaned against it, breathing heavily in attempt to keep my panic at bay a little longer. The last thing I needed was to start hyperventilating and ending up passing out when my head already felt like someone was going at it with a jackhammer.

"Not impressed," I muttered, slumping against the wall.

I'm pretty sure it was all in my head, but I thought that I heard the sound of little tiny insect legs scuttling along, which seemed impossible, all things considered. Still, I shot off the wall and stood in the dead center of the hole, rubbing my arms and trying not to imagine centipedes and spiders crawling around in the darkness surrounding me.

"When I get out of here, the police are going to know! And I'll make sure they get Luna in trouble for it!"

Since I was still not expecting any sort of response, I was rather surprised to hear heavy, human footsteps clunking around on the ground above me.

"Hey!" I shouted.

It was quiet, but I swore I heard someone grumble, "Shut up," in exasperation.

But it was something.

"Do you want me to start listing the things I can charge you with? Not to mention, you're going to have to deal with my mom. And Hotaru Imai. Ever heard of her? She won't be impressed when she finds out that you _dumped _me in a _hole_. And I think I sprained my ankle, which means Natsume might not be overly pleased, either. So forget the police, you've got _serious _trouble on your hands."

The footsteps clunked across the boards, sending shadows down to me. The movements of the person were restless.

"I might make you a deal if you let me out now, and not tell the police. I'll still tell the others though. I mean, at least you won't go to-" Another coughing fit interrupted me, "-jail."

When still no reply came, I groaned in frustration, flopped onto the ground, and pulled off my shoes. Then, overcome by terror, pain, and sadness, I pounded the heels into the walls of the hole, screaming unintelligible words at someone who wouldn't answer.

* * *

Outside the church, Hotaru swept gracefully and calmly over to the limo that had just pulled up. She was in Ruka's face before he was even out of the vehicle.

"Have you heard from Mikan?"

His smile dropped from his face and was replaced by a frown. "What's wrong?"

She tilted her chin up and folded her arms across her chest. "Nothing's wrong."

"You look worried. I've never seen you worried before."

She defiantly stared him down for ten long seconds. When his gaze didn't waver, she said, "I can't find Mikan," tightly.

"What do you mean, you can't find her?"

"Exactly what I said, Nogi. I had a vehicle scheduled to pick her up half an hour ago. The driver waited, and when she didn't come, he went up to the room. She's not there."

* * *

Dirt crumbled onto my lap. Spitting out particles and blinking tears out of my eyes, I dropped the shoes and resorted to my fists.

"I hate Natsume, I hate Luna, I hate running," I chanted. "I hate Natsume, I hate Luna, I hate…"

My voice trailed off when I heard murmurs above me. More than one voice.

"Is she awake?" the first asked.

"Yes," the other replied with a sigh that I barely heard. "She hasn't shut up. You sure no one's going to find us?"

"No one comes out here. And if she gets out she's not going to be able to find her way. We're in the middle of nowhere."

Sweet.

"Anyway, what's she saying?"

"She's threatening me, mostly. She knows we're with Luna."

I used the handholds I'd created in the dirt to pull myself back to my noodly legs. "I can hear you! I know you're up there! Let me out, for God's sake. You can follow me home, if you want."

One of the boards above me was suddenly removed, letting in enough light to make my eyes struggled to adjust. I blinked rapidly until they did, and then looked up at the gruff face staring down at me.

"You held me at gunpoint," I accused, pointing my finger. "And you drugged me. I'm not very happy with you."

He gave me a wry smile that dismissed my concerns. It was more of a twisted scowl that made my skin crawl and my palms itch to hit something…namely him.

"Just doin' our job, sweetheart."

"I've got to admit, this is impressive, especially for Luna. She must have really found me threatening if she had to go through _this _to keep me away from the wedding. Tell me, is it her ego she protecting? Or is it…something else?"

The man looked over his shoulder, probably at the other man. When he turned back to me, he looked so pleased that if I could throttle him, I just might have.

"Money, of course."

"I figured. But what about it?"

"Luna's family and Natsume's family have known each other for a long time. When their children were born, they had an unofficial agreement that they would wed, to join the fortunes of both families. In doing this, and combining their investments, they have the potential to double, even _triple, _their dough. Now, who wouldn't take a little risk for that? Luna's totally okay with it. Natsume's always been the one with the problem."

"You can't just take away someone's freedom because you're a greedy bastard."

"Natsume's loyalties lie with his parents. He does what they ask. He credits his success to them, and he believes that the least he can do in return, is abide to their wishes."

So why did Natsume tell me that _I _had to do something about it? What leverage did I have against his parents? Nothing.

"So sit tight, sweetheart. You'll be here for awhile." With one last ugly smile, he slapped the piece of wood back over the gap.

"Ugh, Natsume," I grumbled. "How _hard _is it to be straight with me for once?"

I kicked the wall. My toes caught in the crevices I'd made, and an idea popped into my head.

Energized by a possibility that seemed almost impossible, I picked my shoe up from the ground and struck the heel against the wall.

* * *

"Hotaru!" Mikan's mom waved from her heat inside the church. She looked exquisite in a plain pink sundress.

Hotaru went to her, her face carefully composed. Ruka hung behind her, his eyes scanning the crowds for the Mikan he wouldn't find.

Aiko clasped her hands together in front of her heart. "Have you seen Mikan?" Her eyebrows were pointed towards her nose, her forehead creased with worry.

"She's been kidnapped," Hotaru decided.

Aiko clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes widening to the size of saucers. "Again? By who? We need to call the police. Oh, oh. Does Natsume know?"

Hotaru glanced over her shoulder at Ruka, who tucked his hands into the pockets of his tux pants and let his eyes wander to the front row of the church, where Luna's family sat, laughing amongst each other.

"We know who took her. We just don't know where."

* * *

Sweat trickled down my forehead. I was suspended about six feet off the ground, my legs on either side of the hole, my toes in the crevices I'd dug with my shoes. The strain I was putting on my muscles to keep me there as I continued to pound at the walls for another handhold was taking its toll on me, but I wasn't even halfway up.

This had to work. I didn't know how, or what I was going to do once I was out, but somehow it was going to work.

Natsume couldn't get himself into a loveless marriage. It wasn't fair for anyone.

"She'll get here," Hotaru said confidently.

"She's _kidnapped_," Ruka said helplessly. "We should tell Natsume. He'll know what to do."

"He's not going to do anything when his and Luna's parents are here. Besides, he knows she'll get here."

"She could be at gunpoint! She could be in a deep dark hole in the middle of nowhere! She could be using her shoes to climb her way out! Hotaru, we have to help her!"

Hotaru shook her head. "She'll get here."

Almost within reaching distance. A couple more slow feet up and I could reach the boards.

Two people. I could take them. It was just two people. Two grown men who were probably three times my weight…each.

"Oh, God." My arms shook as I pulled myself up one more notch. Reaching up, my shoe just touched the boards.

I chipped away one more notch, then slipped the strap of the shoe around my wrist and hoisted myself up that last notch. With a grunt of effort, I punched the boards loose and scrambled madly to the surface.

* * *

Hotaru took her seat next to Ruka and Aiko. Aiko wrung her hands restlessly in her lap, while Ruka looked around and around and Hotaru sat still and cool.

"The service is starting," Aiko stated.

"Yes," Hotaru agreed.

"She's not here, Hotaru. My baby could be hurt. We need to call the cops."

Hotaru pressed her hand to Aiko's leg to keep her seated. "She'll be here soon. Trust me."

"How do you know?" she practically wailed.

"I know Mikan's persistent."

* * *

There was only one man for me to fight off, and that didn't prove to be very challenging when all I ended up doing was lashing out with my shoe and clipping him on the temple with the dirt-encrusted heel.

This was a surprise. I wasn't a very violent person. Hitting someone with the intent to knock them out went against all my rules.

But hey, so did letting a guy cheat on his fiancée with me, and I let that happen.

The man fell to the ground before he could utter a sound.

All around me, trees stood tall and strong and…the _same. _I had no idea which direction to go in, and I had no sense of direction whatsoever.

The service had started. Organ music played as Luna walked down the aisle, looking stunning in her Giorgio Armani dress and smug underneath her veil. As she passed by, Hotaru made sure Luna saw the small smile on her own lips.

Luna's eyes narrowed, but she turned away and looked back to the front of the church where Natsume stood with a blank expression on his face. Ruka had gone up to join him, along with two other men that Hotaru knew by their background checks.

She caught Natsume's gaze, and gave him a barely noticeable nod of reassurance.

I stumbled through the trees and tripped over roots. My feet hurt and my head pounded and I was pretty sure I was still fighting off some of whatever drug I'd been given. My single shoe dangled from my dirty hand, the other left somewhere at the bottom of that hole. Like my dress, you could barely tell it had ever been white.

_Don't say it, Natsume_, I silently begged. _Don't put me through this for no reason._

"Not so fast sweetheart."

I spun around, tripped, and landed on my back in the dead underbrush. The man with the sly smile advanced towards me, his gun drawn and an unspoken threat in his tone.

* * *

A/N: I AM SO SORRY. I'm not going to give you lame excuses as to why it took me a year and a half to update this, and why, once I did update, the chapter is not even good. I have simply not been motivated to write this fanfiction. Half of this chapter has been sitting on my computer for the better part of a year, and just today I decided I needed to finish it because I can't let you all down. I decided to write this instead of doing my psychology homework. That's a step, right? : )

But I don't expect any of you to WANT to continue reading this. I'm sorry : (

Please forgive me. The final chapter of this is going to be short, so I hope to have it done by the end of the week.

xoxo

Ducky-san


	12. A White Veil Occasion

I do not, have not, and will never own Gakuen Alice :)

* * *

I never expected myself to be in this position. Not once had I ever dreamed of going from poor and near-homeless, to the prized athlete of famous trainers Natsume Hyuuga and Ruka Nogi. I did not expect this, and maybe at a time I hadn't wanted it. I didn't care for the fame or the scandals or the drama that came with this form of success. I didn't want to be on the front page of a gossip magazine for saying the wrong thing or talking to a stranger on the street. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I didn't want to be anywhere _else. _Because I was in love for the first time in my life, and that love was within my grasp. How could I just give it up?

* * *

I mustered up the brave face that had gotten me past creeps in the alleys or drunks lounging outside of bars before. I feigned nonchalance, while my heart pounded so hard in my chest that I found myself short of breath.

The man picked his way through the underbrush. I watched the gun intently, my eyes following every inch it moved.

"You know, I admire your persistence," he said, stopping a foot and a half away from me, so close that I had to crane my neck back to get a good look at him.

His face was clean shaven and angular, a face that would have looked more fitting paired with a suit, rather than the plaid flannel and cargo shorts he was wearing. His hair was carefully combed, not a single hair out of place, and his smirk was so unnerving that I felt goosebumps rising on my arms.

"Luna never told us what to expect from you," he went on. "She never told us you'd try clambering your way out of that hole. She never told us you'd use a shoe as a weapon. Poor Daiki. He's going to have a lump on the side of his head. I don't imagine he'll be too impressed."

I managed to snort. "Yeah, well, I can't say I'm too impressed with being thrown in the hole to begin with." My voice was hoarse, and with every syllable it felt like I was trying to swallow sandpaper.

He chuckled. "You can't leave, Mikan. If you get away, then that's on me. I don't get paid. In fact, the Koizumis would probably empty my band account. I can't let that happen, Mikan."

I shimmied backwards. "So you're just going to shoot me?"

"Luna said we had to keep it clean, but she also didn't expect you to get out of that hole. So I'm not sure how I'm going to handle this." He glanced at his Baume & Mercier watch. "As long as I keep you long enough for the vows to finish, then I get paid, Luna marries the guy of her dreams, and their parents form an alliance between their businesses. So, honey, you have a choice."

I scowled. "You can quit with the endearments."

He ignored me. "Either you keep me company here, and I won't throw you back in that hole, and we can just sit here and chat."

I waited for him to keep talking, but he just stared at me, expecting me to jump on the easiest way out.

"Or you can run," he went on. "And I'll have no choice but to stop you in any way that I can."

"Listen, uh…"

His lips curved. "Katsuo."

"Alright, listen, Katsuo. Luna didn't think this one through. You can just go around kidnapping people, throwing them in holes that are there for who knows what reason, and threatening them at gunpoint. It's _illegal. _And there is no way for this to end well for her. Because if you kill me, someone's going to find out, and even if Luna doesn't go down, they'll catch you. And if you do let me go, or if I get away, I'll talk. I'll tell people what went down here."

For half a second, his masochistic grin faltered, and then he chuckled. "Mikan, Mikan, you underestimate the power of manipulation. I'm sure you'll be let go – as long as you cooperate – but Luna will have you kept quiet. Because you have people that are close to you."

"So you're blackmailing me?"

"I suppose, yes. So what's it going to be, Mikan?"

I slowly pushed myself up, one step at a time, watching Katsuo's gun following every inch I moved, until it was level with my chest and I was standing just two feet away from him.

"I don't think you understand," I told him. "This is going to get out. Respect for the Koizumis is going to plummet, and they're not going to have a business. And then the Hyuugas are going to be angry, because they're not delivering. And the marriage will be worthless."

His grin turned to a scowl. "Luna will have thought of all this already."

"She's got blinders on, Katsuo. All she sees is Natsume. And she'll do anything she can to get him without thinking of the repercussions. I mean, seriously, there's no way this could have ended well. Throwing me in a _hole? _Did you dig the damn thing?"

He started to look over his shoulder, and then thought better of it and turned back to me. "It's for a telephone pole. Luna paid them to stop working around here for the day."

I wanted to gape at him. Well, there was a lot of things I wanted to do. Like curl up in a ball and cry. Or hit my head against a tree trunk and ask myself what the hell I thought I was doing.

I didn't do any of that though. Instead, I managed to laugh. "Of course she did. How did you even get me down there?"

"You'll find a bruise around your waist," he said. "We lowered you down."

I itched to check, but there wasn't any way I could check under my dress without being indecent or humiliating myself, and I wasn't in any position to break eye contact or show vulnerability.

I feigned a nonchalant sigh. "I think it's my turn to give you a much more realistic choice here."

He didn't nod or shake his head. He didn't open his mouth. He didn't even blink. But something on his face changed. Maybe it was the sun passing behind a cloud, or fatigue getting to my head, but the look he wore now was one of prey in the eyes of a hunter. Because he knew that I was right.

Without waiting for any other response, I went on. "If you let me walk away right now, then I won't tell the police. I won't tell anyone. I'll say I don't remember who took me. Luna will have her way with you, but you won't be in jail. _Or, _you can keep me here. You can disarm me, break my legs, shoot me…but somehow, someone _will _find out. And when they do, you'll go to jail for the rest of your life."

This information, information that he'd already known, cycled through his mind. I could tell he was scrambling for a reply, for a loophole that would get him out of this mess, but he wouldn't find one.

I felt my lips curve. "So, what will it be?"

* * *

Natsume stood on the altar, waiting for Luna, the Devil's daughter. Behind him, his family sat on one side of the aisle, Luna's on the other. Ruka, on his other side, continued to cast feverish glances over his shoulder, waiting for the doors of the church to burst open and for that brunette bonehead to come to the rescue.

He never expected to be in this position. He'd planned to go through with this marriage and get his father off of his back, and maybe find a way out of it when his old man died. He hadn't expected Mikan to come along, with her loud mouth and forgiving smile and naïve innocence that was equally annoying as it was endearing. He hadn't expected to train her into an athlete with so much potential. He hadn't expected to want to keep her around, to be able to hold her hand and see that smile everyday.

For God's sake, he couldn't remember the last time he'd ever had a romantic thought. And here he was wishing she'd come bursting through those doors so he could sweep her right back off her feet.

* * *

Katsuo lowered the gun. I had to consciously hold back my victorious grin. The less he thought I was gloating, the better this would turn out for me.

"I have a family, you know," he said gruffly.

"Then go home to them," I suggested. "And never associate with the Koizumi's again. They do dirty business, I swear. I mean, they're forcing a marriage. Can you imagine marrying someone just because your parents said you had to?"

A ghost of a smile touched his lips, like he was remembering something, but then it vanished and he waved the gun in my direction. "I'll give you twenty seconds to get out of my sight. If I can still see you, then one of these bullets will be in your back."

A shiver escaped up my spine. I whirled around, wishing I could thank him but taking him too seriously to want to stop. I weaved through the trees, my shoes grasped in my hands, my feet landed on sharp branches and my toes catching on the thick underbrush.

I never heard a gun shot. I got to the quiet road, filthy, beaten, bruised, exhausted, and _alive_. By then, I was so disoriented that I couldn't begin to guess which was I should be going.

The doubt came crawling back, dragging an exasperated whimper from my lips.

I didn't know where I was or how to get to the church. I didn't know if Natsume even wanted me to do this. _This_, which was breaking up a wedding, which was totally out of my character.

I took a deep breath, sweeping my hands over my face and starting in the direction my gut told me to go, which I didn't take as accurate. "You've gotten this far, Mikan," I muttered to myself. "Now's not the time to let your directionally challenged nature get in the way."

_I am not the kind of girl,  
__Who should be rudely barging in on a while veil occasion  
__But you are not the kind of boy  
__Who should be marrying the wrong girl_

I got myself to a main road, ignoring the stairs the people gave me. The minute I saw a yellow car in the distance, I stuck my hand out and waved frantically. The first taxi passed without stopping. The second was a little more merciful.

I hopped into the back seat, scrambling into the middle and shouting out the name of the church.

"Whoa, girl, _whoa_," the cab driver said, turned halfway around in his seat. He was a young fellow, probably only a little older than me. "You're _filthy!_"

I almost laughed at the way his voice sky-rocketed in pitch with the word 'filthy', but I'd glanced at the time.

"Go, go, _go!_" I shrieked.

"Yes, ma'am!" He slammed his foot on the gas pedal, throwing me backwards.

I scrambled to get my seatbelt in place, watching the clock with my worried spelled out on my face.

"Wait a second," the cabbie said, peering at me through the rearview mirror. "Isn't that the church where Luna Koizumi and Natsume Hyuuga are getting married?"

"Yes," I said blandly.

"You can't go to a wedding of that high of class looking like that, sister!"

I hadn't intended to judge him, but by the way he spoke like he was my girlfriend that I'd known for years, I had to go ahead and assume that he was gay. Which didn't bother me in the least; his enthusiasm had me fighting a smile.

"I don't have a choice."

"All right, let me rephrase that. _I _can't let you go to a wedding of that high of class, in the presence of someone as dangerously attractive as Natsume Hyuuga, looking like you just climbed out of a hole in the ground."

I shuffled forward on my seat so I was hanging over the front seat. "What's your name?"

"Masaru Tanaka, at your service." If he'd been in the physical position to do so, I felt like he might have bowed.

"Masaru, I'm going to crash that wedding because I'm in love with Natsume Hyuuga. He has seen me go from bad to worse to worst in the short time he's known me and I don't imagine he's going to be _too _focused on the fact that I look like I crawled out of a hole. On top of that, can you imagine how much of a slap in the face that would be to Luna?"

He stopped the cab at a red light and turned around in his seat, frowning. The moment he got a good look at me though, it morphed into a grin.

"Mikan Sakura! You're Hyuuga's and Nogi's athlete! Lucky girl, you are. Reading those magazines and hearing all about yours and Natsume's conflicts and interactions, I just _knew _you'd end up together."

The light turned green, so I pointed at the road. "Then drive! If I miss my chance, I'm going to be lonely for the rest of my life, I swear."

He turned in his seat and floored it again, throwing me against the seat once more. He turned up the radio, and I laughed out loud at the irony of Taylor Swift's _Speak Now _filling the cab.

_Don't say "Yes", run away now  
I'll meet you when you're out of the church at the back door  
Don't wait or say a single vow  
You need to hear me out  
And they said, "Speak now"_

Masaru turned up the music and rolled down his windows. He started singing to the lyrics, and I couldn't help but join in. It made the anxiety almost completely disappear.

Almost.

* * *

Hotaru did not often lose composure. This was no exception. As the organ started to play, she looked down at her watch with a blank expression. Mikan had always been good at showing up late.

Ruka cast another glance over his shoulder, barely acknowledging the white goddess that was Luna, strutting down the aisle with even a stride that was cocky. Behind her veil, a satisfied smirk was hidden.

Ruka's eyes locked with Hotaru's. He didn't bother to disguise the worry. When he looked back at his best friend, Hotaru was sure that she saw his shoulders sag.

Natsume stood with his back straight, his jaw clenched. Like he wished he'd done something else, instead of leaving it up to Mikan and her pigheadedness.

And, Hotaru supposed, he should have. Because this time, Mikan's usual _late _that she thought was on time, would be _too_ late.

* * *

_And the organ starts to play  
__A song that sounds like a death march._

Masaru looked up and down the street by the church, looking for an empty parking spot. Not only were the grounds flooded with press outside the doors barred by security guards, but the place was surrounded by security vehicles.

"How do you suppose you're going to get past them?" Masaru asked, tires screeching as he ripped around the corner.

I was already unbuckling my seatbelt, reading his mind. "I'll figure something out. Find somewhere to park nearby and wait for me. I don't have any money on me right now."

"I have to find out from the princess how this fairytale ends, anyway." He slammed on the brake in the middle of the side street, earning a honk from a news van behind him. I was already lunging out of the vehicle.

* * *

Maybe Ruka was holding out for a miracle. He'd _seen _what Mikan and Natsume had when they were together. They bickered, they argued, and they said they hated each other. But by the look on his best friend's face at that moment, that look of waiting in agony for something he wasn't sure was to happen, made all of that seem like nothing.

Mikan and Natsume, in the short time they'd known each other, had fallen in love.

The priest cleared his throat. "Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today…"

Out of the corner of his eye, Ruka noticed movement. Hotaru, looking beautiful as ever in a violet sundress with the big white flower attached to the strap, was standing up. And if he wasn't mistaken, he saw a ghost of a smirk on her thin, pale lips.

* * *

I shoved my way through the anxious crowd, waiting to see the queen emerge with her new king. But I couldn't let that happen. Under no circumstances could I let that happen.

"Move it!" I exclaimed, squeezing between a stick of a woman and her partner who was six times her size. The woman cried out in surprise, and the man started to holler after me, but stopped in mid sentence.

"Hey, get back here you-" I heard his gasp. "Hey! It's Mikan Sakura!"

A murmur rippled through the crowd. I ignored it and pressed on, but I found that the people parted for me now, until I reached the front lines where the news vans were set up. Someone tried to shove a mic at me; I shoved it right back.

The security guards were bracing themselves. No doubt they couldn't afford to violently stop me with the news cameras watching their every move, but I also knew that Luna would have made sure that I wouldn't get in.

I didn't plan on stopping for the doors. My bare feet slapped against the stone steps, and I planned to throw all of my weight – which wasn't much – between the two guards.

Before I could leap, and before the guards could put their hands on me, the two wooden doors swung open.

"She's with me," Hotaru said, so icily that the guards backed up two steps. She fixed her blank, violet stare on them for good measure, and then motioned impatiently for me to go in.

"Please," she said dryly. "Cut it a little closer, idiot."

We were in a small lobby area. The wedding was separated from us by another set of double doors.

Hotaru grabbed my arm before I could make a break for it. "You have to wait."

"For God's sake, I've been waiting long enough!"

"No," she said firmly. "There'll be a time for you to do this, and it's not yet. Just wait for the priest to stop rambling."

_But I know you wish it was me,  
__You wish it was me,  
__Don't you?_

She dragged me over to the closed doors and listened.

"True marriage is more than joining the bonds of marriage of two persons; it is the union of two hearts. It lives on the love you give each other and never grows old, but thrives on the joy of each new day. Marriage is love. May you always be able to talk things over, to confide in each other, to laugh with each other, to enjoy life together, and to share moments of quiet and peace, when the day is done. May you be blessed with a lifetime of happiness and a home of warmth and understanding."

I snorted, pushing my dirt-crusted hair off of my forehead with a trembling hand.

Hotaru elbowed me sharply in the ribs, annoyance flickering across her face.

"Aren't you going to ask where I've been?" I whispered, mostly in attempt to calm my jumping nerves.

"You were kidnapped. I knew that already."

"_What?_ Hotaru, they had me in a hole!"

"That doesn't surprise me. Luna's always been an overachiever."

"Like you're one to talk."

She elbowed me again.

"If any of you know cause, or just impediment, why these two persons should not be joined together in holy Matrimony, ye are to declare it."

_I hear the preacher say, "Speak now or forever hold your peace,"  
There's the silence, there's my last chance._

"Now." Hotaru grabbed my elbow, and without giving me a pep talk or at least giving me a chance to prepare myself, she threw open the doors and shoved me inside.

_Horrified looks from everyone in the room  
But I'm only looking at you._

Natsume stood on the altar. Upon my arrival, he, along with every other person in the room, turned to face me. For a fraction of a second, amusement touched his face, followed by something that looked suspiciously like concern, before going blank again.

He was the most handsome man I'd ever seen at that moment. Not according to the magazines or the tabloids or anyone else. According to me. In his trim suit with his white lapel, right down to his shiny shoes and the way his hair was artistically mussed, I melted from the inside out.

"Umm…" I started, but Luna's enraged shriek cut me off.

"You _bitch_! Can't you do anything you're told? You're not supposed to be here! You're ruining _everything_!" She turned to Natsume, frantically grabbing his hands. "Natsume, don't look at her. You have to marry me. Our parents have arranged it."

"Say something, bonehead," Hotaru whispered.

"Luna," I said, willing my voice to quit shaking. My eyes slid to my mom; she had her hand cupped over her mouth in concern and in pride as her eyes welled with tears. "You're the bitch. I know that's a terrible thing to say in a church, but there's no nicer way to put it. I can't let you marry Natsume."

"Why not?" Natsume drawled.

I looked at him steadily, hearing the challenge in his voice and knowing what he wanted me to say. What he wanted me to say in front of his parents, in front of Luna's parents.

I tilted my chin up. "Because I love you."

Natsume dropped Luna's hands.

For a moment, Luna Koizumi, named the sexiest woman alive by more than one magazine, turned into a dinosaur. At least that's what it looked like to me. Her mouth went impossibly wide as she let out a battle cry, and I swear she grew talons. I have to admit, I was pretty impressed by her ability to speed down the aisle at me so quickly in heels and such a poofy gown. She leapt on me before I even had time to react, and as onlookers stood up in a hurry to try to do something, I was lost under a pile of white fabric.

"You're such a brat!" she screamed, pawing through her dress to try and find me.

I deflected her hands before they could rip out my hair, intending only to act defensively. But the minute she dug her talons onto my shoulder, I knew that wouldn't work, so I clawed back.

"Mikan!" I heard my mom cry.

"Somebody get them apart!" the priest exclaimed.

"Let them fight," Hotaru said calmly. "It'll make good pictures."

I read a _riiiiiip! _and part of Luna's dress came away in my hand. I briefly wondered how much the dress - which felt like a cloud, it was so soft - had cost.

"Get off of me!" I yelled, trying to find her body amongst the dress so I could push her off.

She was panting and screaming and maybe crying, which made me feel bad, until she suddenly collapsed onto me. Her sobs tore though her body, and I could feel her tears soaking through the fabric of my dress where she rested her head in my abdomen.

I sat up, frowning. Ruka, who'd been about to pull her off of me, froze, staring at he like she'd suddenly sprouted a third arm. Hotaru stood nearby, her camera out, snapping pictures. Then she turned her camera to the altar, where the three other groomsmen stood. I didn't recognize any of them. The one on the end, however, had his hands clenched into fists and a look of agony on his face, like it was physically painful for him to see Luna like this.

"I can't do this," she sobbed. "I'm so sick of this charade."

Looking up uneasily at Natsume, who stared evenly back, I dropped my hand to her hair, no longer neatly pinned up. "What charade, Luna?"

"I'm not in love with Natsume."

The gasp that rippled through the crowd almost made me laugh, except my gasp was among them.

She sat up. Her makeup was smudged, her hair straggling around her face. She was the most human I'd ever seen her. "Maybe a little bit, but not enough to marry him. I don't hate you, Mikan Sakura. I'm not the selfish bitch you think I am." She turned on her knees, her dress pooling around her, and pointed to the man on the altar. "I'm in love with him. We've been seeing each other in secret since you came into the picture."

Luna's dad, whose name I did not know, looked equally as furious as Naoki, Natsume's dad. Both men were standing, their faces beet red, only Luna's dad was glaring daggers at the man on the altar and Naoki looked like he was going to kill _me. _

Ruka helped Luna to her feet. She went over to Natsume, her eyes rimmed red, and touched his face. "Thank you for helping me please my parents. And thank you for ending this thing." She looked over her shoulder at me. "You've got guts, Sakura." She brushed past her parents, grabbed the hand of the man on the altar, and kissed him.

I hopped to my feet, mind reeling. "Wait a second." I pointed an accusing finger at Natsume. "You _knew _she was faking?"

He nodded.

I threw my hands up in the air. "It all makes sense. Everything makes sense now. You weren't cheating on each other because you didn't actually have a relationship. Everyone just thought you did. Oh, my gosh. I can't believe this right now."

Natsume turned to his and Luna's parents. "I think it's safe to say there won't be a wedding."

Naoki was already boiling over.

"You are a disgrace of a son!"

My hands clenched into fists and I stomped over to Natsume, grabbing his hand and glaring hard at Naoki. "_You're _a disgrace of a father."

He tucked me against his side, bending his head to whisper through his teeth, "Don't get yourself in more trouble with him."

I wanted to argue with him, but when he dropped his arm around my shoulders, warmth spread through my body and I wound my arms around his waist because I _had _him. Screw rules and controlling parents and arranged marriages. At that moment, he was _mine._

_Baby, I didn't say my vows,  
So glad you were around  
When they said, "Speak now"_

"I've had Aiko Sakura's banking information entirely protected," Natsume told his father, his eyes dark. "Her payments are coming directly from me. You can't threaten me, or this idiot," He squeezed my shoulders, "with that anymore. As of now, you and I are separate people. I'm not under your thumb anymore."

Naoki was trembling with rage. If I hadn't been through so much already, I might have been scared. "You will _not _come to me for financial support. _Any _support. _As of now,_ you are my son only by law."

I expected that to get some sort of emotion from my trainer. Hell, Naoki's words even cut _me_. But Natsume just smirked. "Like I need financial support from you. At the rate you're going, you'll need financial support from me."

Running out of things to insult Natsume with, he pointed his finger accusingly at me. "I don't want to ever see her, _ever_. Or I'll have her thrown in another hole and I'll-"

Before he could finish with his threat, I gasped. "That was _you? _Not Luna?"

Luna, who was still on the altar with her man, staying out of the crossfire for now, turned to me in shock, and then an angry scowl transformed her tear-ravaged face. She was looking at Naoki's back.

"_What did you do?_" she shrieked. "You threw her in a hole? And said it was _me_?"

Naoki looked smug; I could see where Natsume got that look. "You two already had enough blood between you. That idiot would believe it. I hired the men under your name. The more you hated each other, the better."

Now Luna's parents had turned to face Naoki. Her father had that kind of anger that isn't noticeable on the outside, but is burning from the inside out. That was the scariest kind.

"You tried to drag _Luna's _name through the mud?"

Naoki snorted. "Oh, please. Her name's already been dragged through the mud."

While they bickered, people began seeping out of the church. My mom, Hotaru, Anna, and Ruka stayed. My mom and Anna pulled me away from Natsume and surveyed the minor damage done to my body, while Natsume watched me with this sort of protective anger that I could practically _feel _emanating off of him.

I'd hear it later about how stupid I was to let that happen, how it was going to compromise my athletic performance, yadda-yadda. Right now, that didn't matter. Not as long as he was looking at me with what I knew was his way of caring.

Hotaru went up to him and held up a mechanical device of some sort. Judging by the cord that led from the device to the flower on the strap of her dress, I guessed it was some recording concoction she'd whipped up for use in inconspicuous interviews. She'd caught Naoki's every word on tape.

I watched Natsume nod while trying to assure Anna and my mom that I was fine, just a little bruised. My mom wanted me to go to the hospital, Anna wanted me to explain – in _detail _– what had happened. But I was barely paying attention to either of them.

Natsume was going to turn his dad in for what he'd done to me. He was choosing me over his own blood.

Tears welled up in my eyes and I couldn't restrain myself any longer. I ran and leapt securing my arms around his neck and digging my face into his shoulder. His arms were tight around me, and I could ignore Naoki's snort of disgust.

Natsume's lips touched my ear. "You're getting my suit dirty."

* * *

I went on to place sixth in the finals of my competition. Anna placed third. Considering it was my first real competition, I was pretty proud of myself, and so was Ruka and even though Natsume didn't say it, I knew he was too.

My mom doesn't live where we used to. With me working with Natsume and Ruka, she was able to move into a nice apartment. I stayed there most nights, but sometimes she let me stay at Natsume's. Some things you just couldn't avoid.

Ruka and Hotaru are an item, even though Hotaru spends a lot of time away with work. Every time she comes home, it's really quite adorable how starry-eyed Ruka gets. And I can tell Hotaru is happy – I'm her best friend, that's my job.

Naoki is currently awaiting trial for attempted murder charges. I don't know how well that will blow over, since there's no evidence that he actually tried to kill me, but Natsume hired the best lawyer around. Which means a lot to me.

I didn't back out. I could have, very easily, told Natsume I couldn't handle the pressure of having the spotlight on me. But I would have been lying, because I found out that as long as I had Natsume to bicker with, argue with, want to throttle, occasionally kick or hit, and then at the end of the day have his arms to go into, I _could _handle it.

Oh, and Masaru the cabbie? He's pretty stuck on the idea of Natsume and I eventually getting married, and he'd called dibs on planning it.

* * *

A/N: That is officially the end of All Star! It has been a long and wonderful ride with you, my readers, and I'm glad to have spent it with you! I know I said in my last chapter that I'd try to finish the story a week after I posted it, but when I think back I don't know what I was thinking! Next time I write a fanfiction, I hope to write it all and then post it chapter by chapter, but I don't have any idea when the next one might be, if ever. Maybe in the summer, when I only have to work and I don't have to worry about school! I haven't replied to any personal messages or reviews, but I DO get them and i DO take into consideration what eachs says. And just because I'm not posting doesn't mean I'm absent from this site! I still read!

Lots of love,  
Ducky-san

(This has not been proofread, so please excuse grammatical or spelling errors!)


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